Stay in Touch
by Tefnut
Summary: Daniel is stranded with Jack on a dark world. His need to communicate with the locals might prove his undoing. Warnings: Nudity, language.
1. Part 1

** Stay in Touch**

by Tefnut

**Summary**: Daniel is stranded with Jack on a dark world. His need to communicate with the locals might prove his undoing. Main characters: Jack and Daniel.  
**Genre**: Action/Adventure, Hurt/Comfort  
**Spoilers**: Set during Season 3 or 4. Spoilers for Legacy, The First Ones; passing reference to One False Step.  
**Rating & Warnings**: PG-13. Nudity, language.  
**Pairing**: None  
**Size**: 35000 Words  
**Disclaimer**: The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-1, the Goa'uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author. 

Thanks to **Jackal**, my beta-reader, for gnawing at my run-on sentences and chewing on all inconsistencies. Without barking! And thanks to **Pettygrew**, for the Major Carter bit I missed ;-).

* * *

**Part 1**

"That's… muddy. Great." Jack lifted his boot from the ground with a slurping sound. He tramped for a short distance and slowly turned in a circle, getting a panoramic view of his surroundings. The side of a mountain shadowed the sodden land. The Stargate had been erected on a plateau, edged by deep chasms on either side.

There was no sign of vegetation except for patches of red moss. Rivulets of water ran downwards following the gentle slope, scoring the soil in their wake. It resembled a field recently ploughed, neglected and left to soak. Who would be desperate enough to cultivate anything here when it was so cold and windy?

"At least it's not raining. Daniel, remind me why it was so important we came here?"

"The MALP showed a cobblestone road… There! I think that's it!"

How Daniel could run in this mud was anybody's guess. Barely a second later he was kneeling, his fingers tracing the edges of a group of small square stones scattered on the ground. Some were laid flat, some on their sides, some were buried in the mud, and some were entirely missing. Whoever had built this path hadn't done a very good job.

"This road does not seem to be in current use," Teal'c observed.

"Can you get me the address of the guy who built this?" asked Jack. "I've been thinking of redoing my balcony."

"There has been… people were going to the gate… maybe they knew what it was for."

Gusts of wind drowned out half of Daniel's speech. Jack zipped his jacket shut.

"Sir, the UAV detected strong electrical activity. There still might be some sort of civilization or interesting minerals. Maybe even naquadah. This soil looks promising."

"Sweet. Where did it crash, this time?"

"There." Teal'c pointed.

Hell yeah. There was the UAV, at three o'clock. In bits. It was squashed against a lone rock no bigger than a dog. Jack rolled his eyes. He had honestly believed that the small drones would be an improvement in scouting technology. He still believed it most of the time. If only they didn't crash so often. This one, at least, had been thoughtful enough to do so near the gate.

"Daniel!" Jack yelled at the archaeologist to make himself heard over the rain and wind. "Help Teal'c with the UAV. Carter, keep an eye on them."

Jack trudged to the road. This mess was their only way in if they wanted to explore this world. A few steps forward positioned him where he could see the land below the plateau -- a bumpy, ugly valley covered with brown coniferous trees and red grass. The plateau was linked to the plain forty feet below by a narrow set of spiral stone stairs. Handrails were obviously an unknown concept on P8J-453.

The road resumed beyond the stairs. It was flanked on each side by a row of carefully spaced large trees. The obviously artificial alignment was somewhat broken up by ferns, bushes, and younger trees, as the surrounding forest slowly reclaimed the area. The road meandered to some far away clearing. Jack could only guess from the broken vista that a city was concealed in the gloom.

He turned around. Daniel and Teal'c had put the UAV on the ground near the DHD and were waiting for his orders. "All right campers, I hope you've brought your sleeping bags."

"Shall we send the UAV and the MALP home, Sir?"

"Do that, Carter. Confirm we'll be back in seventy-two hours."

—

Teal'c didn't enjoy walking down the stairs. The steps were narrow, high, and slick from the recent rain. The wind didn't help, either. He was the last one to go. O'Neill, Major Carter and Daniel Jackson were already safe far below. The Jaffa was agile and brave, but in this particular exercise, his bulk was a hindrance. He envied Major Carter's smaller frame.

One last turn, eight steps to go. Teal'c relaxed. His next movement was not as careful as it should have been. His left foot slipped and he fell backward. He slid down the last of the stairs on his buttocks, wounding his dignity on each step before Daniel caught him at the bottom.

"Are you OK, Teal'c?" Carter asked.

"Thank you, Daniel Jackson. Major Carter, I am well."

"Did you film that, Daniel?"

"I should have…"

The two men barely chuckled. Teal'c was grateful for that. He had been fortunate the fall had not occurred from a greater height. As it was, his sore backside was going to haunt him in his next kel-no-reem. Teal'c adjusted the straps of his backpack and seized the staff weapon that Major Carter was holding out. "I am ready to proceed O'Neill."

"Let's go, then. I'm taking point. Carter, watch our six."

"I really wonder who designed these stairs," said Daniel. "And why?"

"Practical joking. If you look up those trees, I bet you'll find a webcam."

"Jack…"

"As I speak Teal'c's pratfall is being broadcast on the local Hidden Camera channel."

Teal'c stopped listening. He focused on the path ahead, ignoring the pain radiating from his abused anatomy with every lurching stride. Using his staff weapon as an oversized walking stick, Teal'c did his best to avoid the worst potholes dotting the road. He was not always successful and tripped more frequently than his companions.

"Are you sure you're fine, Teal'c?" Daniel asked.

"I have bruised my tailbone, Daniel Jackson."

"Ow, that hurts," Sam winced in sympathy.

"Indeed. My symbiote is working on it. You do not need to stop for me."

"If you're sure…"

"I am positive, O'Neill."

After a short break the group started walking again, led by a deliberately slow colonel. Teal'c sighed. This walk would be a long one.

—

"What's wrong with this place?" Ruins were not uncommon on the planets Jack had visited. They all came complete with rubble, junk, weeds, and an air of lingering death. But usually the buildings hadn't been half-swallowed by the ground, nor had they been raised on out-of-place mounds.

"It looks ancient but at the same time…" Daniel had to stop mid-sentence to swallow a large amount of air before going on. "It's still happening."

Teal'c raised his most meaningful eyebrow. "Your statement does not make sense to me, Daniel Jackson. Have I misunderstood?"

"Nope, Teal'c. Remember, it's Daniel. He says weird things all the time."

"Yeah, that's what geeks do," Daniel snapped.

"That was uncalled for," Jack complained, assuming a wounded expression. Teasing the archaeologist was one of Jack's favourite occupations, and Daniel didn't seem to mind. Usually. The colonel gave his team a quick glance. Sam had knelt down. Her left hand was full of a clod of wet soil. She didn't seem to be breathing at all, and her jaws were clenched tightly. Daniel focused straight in front of himself. Instead of his handcam, he had drawn his sidearm. Teal'c was doing what he was best at, being inscrutable.

Sam closed her hand, and the soil oozed through her fingers.

"Any ideas about what caused this mess, Carter?"

"The topography may have been modified by an earthquake, Sir."

"That is most probable," Teal'c agreed.

Jack would have sworn the Jaffa had sighed in relief.

"I hate to think what happened to the people who lived here," Daniel whispered.

"Do you think you might find something interesting?" Jack directed the question at his scientists.

They didn't answer.

"Hello Daniel! Carter! I'm asking you if you want to have some fun in these ruins!"

Daniel stirred, but didn't reply. Sam mumbled an absent "Sir" and left it at that.

Jack took a longer look at the place. The ground was definitely treacherous, full of holes, bumps and the abundant local mud. There was no sign of life, except for a few fist-sized birds. "Teal'c?"

"We will have to proceed carefully. Although I can see no immediate danger, I would advise that we stay aware of our surroundings."

"As always, big guy." Jack frowned. This place was definitely giving him the creeps. That he didn't understand the source of the feelings only made it worse. "You know what, kids? The sun is getting low. Let's backtrack to the clearing. We'll set up the camp there, have a good night's sleep, and come back here tomorrow."

—

They returned to the ruins after an uneventful night. After half an hour of exploration, the rain turned into a downpour. Sam thought there was some serious mining material just below. She kept fiddling with her favourite doohickeys and getting Teal'c to gather various soil samples.

"Rain, and mud, and more rain. This planet is lovely."

Jack's muttering drew Daniel out of his reverie. He found himself toying with his Beretta again. The military life was starting to have a really bad influence on him. He squinted, trying to collect himself. One deep breath, and the archaeologist in him was back. "Jack, if you think it's OK, I'd like to examine that tower over there. It's still mostly standing."

This was more than could be said of the other buildings. While most of them appeared to have been constructed in a circular design, judging by the foundations, it was hard to tell how high they had been. Everything over a foot in height had crumbled to the ground. Most of the material had apparently disappeared. Daniel presumed that the stones of the broken village had been used for new construction by someone else -- people who might still be around right now.

"Yeah. I'm with you. You heard that, Carter?"

"Yes, Sir."

"We won't be far."

The terrain was difficult. It took the two men almost ten minutes to cover the short distance to the tower. Although it was constructed from the same moss-covered stone as the other buildings, its wall were much thicker, accounting for its better state of preservation. It was quite large, probably about fifteen meters in diameter at its base. Daniel couldn't determine whether the top had been pointed, domed, or flat since the upper part of the edifice had collapsed.

"I've found the entrance." Daniel removed some moss from the doorway, revealing the bluish cast of the stone underneath. "There are carvings. Can you see that, Jack?"

"Yup. That's a fancy house number."

"No… It's more like a type of snake or something." Daniel scrubbed more of the moss away. "Yeah look, here's the head. It's… yikes."

"Very good description."

"Goa'uld, Jack. It's a Goa'uld larva."

"Shit!"

"Hey, relax! That's old, you know." Daniel peered inside the building. Fragments of walls were scattered on the floor, partially obscuring the large oval stone table in the centre of the building. "It looks like a meeting place of some sort."

"A snakeheads' HQ?"

"I'm not sure." A few careful steps led Daniel to the simple, sturdy table. Definitely utilitarian. It was the only piece of furniture visible. "You know, Goa'uld like to live in luxury. That's not their kind of place."

"Hmm. Anything of interest in there?"

The archaeologist scrutinized the circular wall, the table, and the floor, looking for writing, painting, carvings -- anything. "Nope."

"Come out, then."

Daniel was already outside when he started shaking his index finger in the air. "Wait! There's something wrong. Look inside!"

"Yeah. Pretty."

"Don't you see? The stones are clean! And look out there now. What do you see?"

"Moss."

"It's still happening, Jack!" Daniel ran towards a big stone, shrouded by the local red ferns and completely covered by a thick layer of moss. "Whatever destroyed this city is still happening. The rocks inside have fallen more recently than these ones here. And look, that one is even older." He tore the fern away and threw it to the ground. "I don't trust this place, Jack."

"Carter! Teal'c!" yelled Jack in his radio. "Go back to the woods! Now!"

"Yes, Sir!"

"Daniel, I won't pretend that I understand what you're babbling about, but we're leaving."

"Right."

—

Sam quickly gathered her samples and stowed them in her bag. She glanced around quickly, searching for Teal'c. She was relieved to find him near, waiting for her. He helped her clip her backpack into place, without a word. Sam nodded and led the way to the forest.

She was trotting, not running. Despite the colonel's impatient order, she refused to leave her teammates too far behind. They were close enough for her to occasionally catch a glimpse of them. They weren't running either, probably because the ground they had to traverse was even more treacherous.

"What the hell's happening?" she muttered under her breath. She didn't like this place, and neither did her companions, but that didn't come as a surprise. It was cold, damp, muddy, and raining hard. That wasn't all, though. If Sam believed in ghosts she would have said that these ruins were haunted. Her scientific mind denied such an illogical explanation. She certainly felt uneasy here, but she refused to dwell on it. Her fear was unfounded, or so she had thought until her radio had crackled to life, carrying the worried voice of her CO.

And still she could detect nothing to corroborate her anxiety.

—

It started merely as a sound, deep and low. A gentle vibration, barely perceptible underfoot. Jack frowned, picking up his pace as much as he could without risking a fall. He focused on Daniel's boots in front of him, trying to match his friend's paces. Jack was not certain that he understood all the implications of what Daniel had seen and said – what was that again? _'It's still happening.'_ Earthquakes? That's what Carter had said last afternoon. It didn't matter. He knew better than to doubt the archaeologist's instincts when it came to crumbling stones. The kid had more than enough experience in the matter.

And sure enough, after the sound came the quivering. The tremor was light at first. Small stones rolling down boulders. Raindrops bouncing in weird directions. Nothing to phone home about, really. But it was increasingly more difficult to stay on the treacherous path. Daniel came to an abrupt stop and Jack collided with his backpack.

"What the hell?"

"Jack!"

The first strong shock took him by surprise. Mirroring Daniel, Jack dropped to his knees. The muddied road beneath him was vibrating in rhythm with a deafening noise. Was it thunder? No, the sky had nothing to do with this. The noise originated from below. Jack stared in shock. The ground was lifting right in front of him. In an instant, a three foot square mound of stones, plants, and mud -- previously level ground -- was raised several feet in the air. And its top was tearing open.

"Geyser!" he yelled, trying in vain to get back on his feet.

Daniel gave him a hand. The two men were still half-crouched when the Thing popped his head out of the mound.

—

Teal'c almost dropped his staff weapon when he fell. He wasn't on his hands and knees for long. A strong tremor sent him rolling on his back, down a slope that he hadn't noticed before. Teal'c made a frantic effort to right himself and clamber back up the newly formed hill.

"Teal'c! Here!"

Stretched out on top of the rise, Major Carter was reaching down to him. He grabbed her hand. As she pulled him up, he had time for one quick look back.

The land had torn open to give birth to a monster with which he was all too familiar. The Thing hissed, rearing up to tower over him. Teal'c's symbiote wriggled in his pouch. Did it recognize its kindred? The creature was the spitting image of a young Goa'uld.

If Goa'uld grew ten feet long.

—

"Run!" yelled Jack.

Daniel hadn't waited for his order. He launched himself forward, hurtling over the fallen rocks, avoiding potholes. He could hear Jack panting behind him, somewhere on his right side. The foul beast was breathing down his neck. It was following them, slithering through the mud, and Jack was losing ground.

Daniel grabbed for his sidearm, the gesture complicated by the rapid pace. He almost dropped the weapon as he drew it from the holster. He spun and assumed a firing stance, feet braced and arms extended. Jack was running towards him, the beast writhing right behind, much faster than should have been possible for an animal this size.

"Take that!" He fired five rounds in rapid succession. All struck their intended target. It was so close there was no need to aim. The beast shrieked in pain, blue blood spurting from its wounds, and stopped long enough for Jack to reach Daniel's side. Daniel emptied his clip, the loud report of his 9mm joined by the rattle of Jack's P-90. The creature convulsed. Daniel almost believed they had killed it.

Oh God. If that Thing was dead, it hadn't noticed yet. Jack grabbed Daniel by the arm and they started running again, aiming for the forest. It wasn't far. The furious creature was even faster than before, but Daniel believed that they could make it. Suddenly he felt the ground vanish under his feet. Before he could attempt any evasive manoeuvre, the earth swallowed him and his teammate.

—

Four worms had appeared out of nowhere and were swiftly advancing on her position. Sam could hear at least one other coming from behind. On her right side Teal'c had just shot the first one with his staff weapon. The charge from the blast still crackled in the air.

She fired at the group of creatures. The smaller one bent to the left, the upper part of its body half split open. Bluish blood was flowing freely from its wounds. Sam almost thought it would fall and die where it was. Instead, it moved to join its kin more rapidly than before, seemingly unaffected by its wounds.

The four were approaching. Sam lowered her weapon to grab a hand grenade. She depressed the lever, pulled the pin, and hurled the grenade with all the strength she could muster. Her timing and aim were perfect. It landed just in front of the monsters and exploded. The beasts howled as they were thrown back.

Two worms were killed. One was alive, but barely moving. The fourth still looked ready to go after its prey, in spite of the pieces of shrapnel embedded in its head. Sam glanced back just in time to register that Teal'c had finished off a fifteen-foot long Goau'ld look-alike. The path was clear.

"Let's go!" Sam yelled.

—

Jack fired one last burst and threw himself deeper into the tunnel that had opened beneath them. A thundering cry followed. The beast. The beast had fallen in with them.

"Jack, is that you?"

"Yeah." Jack had landed on Daniel face down.

The latter was busily coughing and spitting mud. "You're squashing me. Move," he spluttered.

"Wait a second." The tunnel was pitch black. Jack fumbled in Daniel's backpack, forcing his shaking fingers to grip the flashlight and point it forward. He flicked it on. "Dammit! Don't move."

"Why? Is it… not dead?"

"I don't know. It's behind me."

"So what's ahead of us that makes you go 'dammit'?"

Jack ground his teeth. "A hole," he answered. "Six feet ahead."

"Big?"

"We don't want to fall in it."

Jack took a deep breath. As much as he hated to look at it again, he had to check on the creature behind them, and kill it if necessary. Then he would check Daniel and himself over for injuries. Carter and Teal'c were next on the list. Only after could he try and find a way out of the hole. He hoped it wouldn't involve the gap in front of him. "I'm going to turn around on you, Daniel. I want to have a look at our cuddly friend. Make sure we don't slide."

"No problem. My foot is stuck."

Fortunately there was enough leeway for Jack to turn around. The tunnel was wide. They wouldn't be able to stand, but sitting would be an option once Daniel was mobile. Holding the flashlight between his teeth, Jack slowly turned on himself. He regretted squashing his teammate in the process. Repositioned, he took a good look at the worm. "For cryin' out loud! Daniel!"

"I told you. My foot is stuck."

Jack stared at Daniel's left leg in horror. It was engulfed in the creature's jaws halfway up to the knee. "Can you feel your foot?"

"I don't think it managed to bite it off, if it's what you're asking. Is it, is it dead?"

"It bought the farm. Don't worry. I'm going to check on the others." Jack keyed his radio. "Carter? Teal'c? Do you copy?"

Static. Gasps. Sounds of shooting. "…running, Sir."

"Roger, Carter. Call me back."

Daniel stirred. "They in the clear?"

"Not yet. Now keep quiet, I'm going to free you." Jack thrust the base of the flashlight into the ground and reached for his Bowie knife. He cautiously inserted it into the beast's mouth, as close as Daniel's leg as he dared, using the blade as a lever. Two rows of sharp teeth were getting in the way and diverting the knife. Jack slipped more than once, fearing he would hurt Daniel each time. After a lot of sweating and swearing he had only managed to lever the jaws apart by an inch.

"There's not as much pressure," said Daniel, sounding relieved.

"Do you think you can move your leg out of there?"

"No."

Jack grabbed the flashlight again, focusing on the spot where Daniel's leg disappeared into the monster's mouth. There wasn't any blood, but Jack suspected that it was because the wounds were still too compressed to open. At least the teeth were not stuck in the flesh. They had killed the worm just in time.

Vibrations. Another worm was digging a hole somewhere. Jack braced himself and clutched Daniel. The ground could shake, he would stay where he was until his friend was free. He removed the clip from his P-90 and inserted the barrel of the weapon near the blade. Time for more prying. God the beast was tough, he wouldn't need to pump iron for a while. "You still OK down there?"

"You might want to cut down on the cookies in the future."

Jack retorted in his best offended tone. "That's muscle, not fat. Better get used to it. It's going to take a while."

—

"Run, Major Carter!" Teal'c kept yelling encouragements at his teammate. How long would she be able to sustain this brutal pace? Shoot, then run, then run faster. That was all he could think about. His staff weapon was burning his palms. High-pitched animal cries and the thunder of the shaking ground didn't cover the pounding of his heart or the rasp of air in his lungs.

Teal'c didn't notice immediately when Carter tripped on the loose pavement. She called for help almost too late for Teal'c to realize what was happening and turn back. He rushed back, stopped, and fired a blast from his staff weapon. One beast down. He ran on. What was this shadow on his left? Another pause, another blast, another one down. Sweat streamed down his face.

Carter rolled on her back, facing the third creature, which was looming over her with its mouth wide open, teeth bared and gleaming. She emptied a full clip into that gaping maw, yelling in fear and defiance. Teal'c couldn't blame her. The creature fell, its side shredded, filled with much more lead than necessary. It was dead, but Teal'c shot it as well -- once, twice, three times. What he would give for an automatic staff weapon…

Teal'c grabbed Carter and heaved her back on her feet. More beasts came from the ground, from the rocks, from the mud. So they ran again, striving to reach the cover offered by the trees. Teal'c dragged his exhausted friend along in his wake.

He had probably dislocated her shoulder in the process.

—

"Try it now."

Daniel had been waiting for this order for an eternity. His head was pounding like mad. Too much blood in his brain, he thought, and not enough in his legs. Jack leaning on his thighs didn't help either.

Clutching at the soil, he slowly slid his foot out of the beast's jaws.

"Hurry," he heard Jack say through clenched teeth.

It didn't hurt. Daniel could feel the teeth brushing past his shin and over his boot, but there was no pain. Relieved, he pulled a bit harder. He was free.

—

"Teal'c…"

The Jaffa glanced behind him. Samantha Carter was panting. Her laboured respiration indicated that she couldn't go on much longer. They had just crossed the swamp surrounding the ruins, and their progress hadn't been easy. "I think that we have outdistanced the threat, Major Carter."

Instantly she stopped, leaning forward, hands resting on her knees. Her breathing was quick and rasping. Teal'c knew that, athletic as she was, she had been pushing herself too hard for too long to escape from the furious creatures. They had followed closely, no matter how badly hurt. Even repeated shots had not slowed them down. It had become a routine: shoot and run, shoot and run.

Now the beasts were nowhere to be seen. While Teal'c didn't believe they were gone, he welcomed the break.

"Teal'c… We need to know… about the others."

"I will contact them with my radio."

He switched on his radio, trying to modulate his tone not to reflect his concern. O'Neill answered in a strangely muffled voice, informing him that he and Daniel Jackson were alive and well, and asking eagerly about himself and Major Carter. Calling him "T". The Jaffa couldn't stifle a smile.

—

"We're both fine, Teal'c. Really. Just make it to the gate and bring some reinforcements."

"Can you give us your position, O'Neill?"

"Oh, yeah. You can't miss it. Just backtrack from the worm's tail – we're at its kissing end."

"I'm not sure I understood, Sir."

Daniel chuckled at Carter's baffled voice.

"Listen, Carter. We're stuck in a tunnel below the ruins, and it's plugged by a worm. Find the worm, and you'll find us. Now get help!"

"Yes, Sir. Underst…"

"Carter?"

Static again. Daniel closed his eyes.

"Carter!" Jack's fist banged against the beast's muzzle. "Dammit!"

"I'm sure they're fine, Jack. We're probably a bit out of range already. The mineral content in the soil is messing up the signal."

A long silence followed. Daniel decided not to open his eyes. Jack would be able to see that he was worried. He would see that Jack was worried, too. And that was even worse.

"Lemme have a look at your leg."

Daniel straightened his left leg and sighed when he felt Jack unlacing his boot. He supposed he could do that himself, but what the hell, it would keep Jack busy. He knew Jack well enough to understand how much he needed that.

Jack always thought better while doing things. He might come up with a plan that would allow them to get out of here, away from the stench and the proximity to the thing that looked far too much like a Goa'uld larva.

Daniel felt the press of fingers on the injured spot on his leg. It wasn't painful, not really. It was nothing like being zatted, or shot. It almost felt like an old blackened bruise when you put your finger on it to check if it still hurts.

"You're one damn lucky bastard, Daniel."

Now that was a compliment.

Something chilly leaked on his wounds, waking the pain. Daniel winced. Jack's bandaging skills were not on par with his, let alone Sam's.

"Done! It's going to bleed later on, but it shouldn't be too bad."

A tap on the knee. The feeling of the fabric back against his shin. The boot laced tightly around his ankle again. Daniel groaned and leaned back to rest against the side of the tunnel. He was half sitting, half crouching, and it was cramped, but it did feel better than laying down with Jack's one hundred and eighty pounds on top of him.

"Hey, ya still with me?"

Daniel frowned. Sure, he was still here. Where else was there? He was fine. His head felt so light now that the blood was circulating freely again. If only Jack would shut up, he could go to sleep and maybe forget the foul breath -- _no, not breath, it was dead_ -- of the monster near him.

"Come on, Space Monkey!"

The impatient voice echoed in his ears, sounding concerned. Daniel frowned again. He couldn't see what there was to be concerned about. They were well and warm in a tunnel. Carter and Teal'c were well too, if far away. He was feeling so light. Turning on his side, he stretched into a more comfortable position.

The slap woke him.

"Not down there, Daniel!"

"What? Where?"

"Remember the hole? Hang on to me." Jack's strong arms grabbed him and pulled him up. "Ya with me now?"

"Yeah. Sorry 'bout that."

"We can't let that happen again."

"How long was I out?"

"Long enough to have me worried." Jack settled Daniel back to a sitting position, close to the monster.

"I'm sorry."

"You're back. Case closed. Now, I'd like to check what's down there." Jack pointed towards the hole. He patted Daniel on the shoulder and added: "You wait here."

Daniel nodded. He was well aware of his surroundings now, even though the headache hadn't gone. He felt nauseous. He suspected the reeking beast was the main cause of his indisposition, and wondered if its stench was somehow toxic. The creature was so big that it completely blocked the entrance of the tunnel, which had most likely been dug by a smaller worm.

Fresh air was coming from the hole on his left, which Jack was slowly crawling towards. Daniel could only guess his friend's position by looking at the beam of his flashlight. He had not gone far when he stopped.

"What can you see?" asked Daniel.

"Looks like a cavern. Hmm, there's water down there."

"Water? You mean like a river?"

"More like a small lake. Ah, and there's a platform at ten o'clock. Can't see what's behind…"

So that was where his glasses had gone. Daniel thought he'd heard a splash when he'd lost them.

The beam of light moved again, crawling backwards. A minute later Jack was back next to Daniel -- who was forced against the side of the tunnel as a long, loud vibration sent shivers through his spine.

"That was good timing," Jack panted, after the shaking had stopped. "If I'd been down there…"

"Plop."

"Yup. Plop."

Daniel scratched his nose. "The soil seems to be fairly compact. There's a bit of mud falling with each worm quake, but it's really not that much, all things considered."

"And your point is?"

"We might try to dig our way out. We've got knives and there's a trowel somewhere in my pack. The thing is, we don't have any way to shore up the tunnel."

"How far down are we?"

"The slope was steep to start with, but then it levelled off. I'm not really sure!"

Jack shone his light on the beast. "Our buddy there is about fifteen feet long."

"Let's say it got stuck halfway…"

"Why halfway?"

"I saw a bulge. It had a fat gut."

"You noticed that?" Jack sounded vaguely admiring.

"So, the initial angle was…"

"Almost vertical for at least three feet."

"Which makes a total angle of sixty degrees."

"Yes, sixty degrees sounds about right."

The two men mumbled various mathematic formulas and calculations, and reached the same conclusion in unison. "Ten feet!"

"Give or take," amended Daniel.

They looked at each other in silence.

"We are in deep shit," said Jack.

"Deep being the operative word."

—

They had to find a way out. Quick. Two of his kids were out there, probably facing Goa'uld of epic proportions. They had to find them, make sure they were O.K. Blast the beasts to hell. Jack fumbled in his backpack.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for… yeah I got it!" Jack put his zat on his lap to close his bag. "Let's see if a worm plug can be zatted."

"No, wait!" Daniel's hands were flapping wildly. "If you zat it, the tunnel might just collapse right on us. I mean, this Goa'uld thing is too big…"

"Ya think?"

"Look, when it got stuck, it may have damaged the structure of the tunnel. If -- if we remove it, with the change of pressure and all, we may end up buried."

"Or not." Jack adjusted the straps of his bag. "Would it be OK if we were far enough from the worm?"

"I dunno… Can you give me some light? Right there."

Jack directed his flashlight to the tunnel's roof. Daniel's fingers were there already, grazing the wall in swift and gentle movements whose purpose eluded Jack. Daniel moved further along the tunnel, stopping only to tap the roof with his knuckles. Mud fell.

"Daniel! What're ya doing?"

"Light, please."

The exploration continued. Jack sat silently as Daniel progressed inch by inch towards the hole, knocking above his head at regular intervals.

One more time Jack swore, and ducked to avoid the shower of dirt and small rocks. "Warn me before you do that!" But nothing happened.

"We can try from here. I mean, I think if it collapses, it won't go that far."

"It will have to do. We can't stay here much longer anyway. This place stinks."

"That it does."

"Will you be able to run?"

The answer came half a second too late for Jack's taste. "… Will do." He knew what that meant. Daniel's wounds were opening. The man would hurt big time in a moment. If he didn't already. It was hard to tell with Daniel.

"OK. Move your butt, I need some room!" Jack moved next to Daniel's position, dangerously close to the gap. He leaned against the side of the gallery, facing the beast. A quick glance assured him that Daniel was doing the same. "Hold tight. I'll probably need to shoot a few times."

Jack secured the strap of the flashlight around his left wrist, and turned the zat on. The head of the gun popped up with a satisfying whir. "One… Two…"

The worm quake boomed at that same moment, sending an unvoiced 'three', two men and a zat'nikatal to oblivion.

—

Water. Cold.

Daniel's heart stopped.

Eyes wide open, he stared above him, where a flashlight played with shadows. It was blurry and slow, slow like the weight that was pushing him down. Daniel felt himself drift. It was comfortable. Something was brushing his left cheek, something that couldn't possibly be Jack's hand. And yet it was, for it moved and now he could feel fingers lazily passing through his hair.

It was so typical of Jack, to tousle his hair even though they were dead.

Dead, and cold, and a heart so silent it hurt.

He hit bottom.


	2. Part 2

**Stay in Touch, by Tefnut  
Part 2**

Sam tripped over a root and fell again. Teal'c was at her side, lifting her to her feet before she could react. But she couldn't go on. She knew that. With a sigh, she turned, weapon ready. Whatever was following would soon meet with a painful death. Except that there was nothing to fire at. She gasped. "They've stopped following us!"

The beasts hadn't hidden in the swamps only to spring back up in pursuit of them, like they had done before. They were still here, five of them, about fifty feet from Sam's position, in the bare clearing before the forest's edge. Their heavy bodies were weaving in the air like cobras'. The sun was setting on them, darting cool rays on their pale, brownish skin. Slowly, they slid closer to each other instead of approaching the trees behind which Teal'c and Sam were hiding.

"They seem to have forgotten us, Major Carter."

"Or maybe they don't care anymore…" Sam crouched and lowered her P-90. There was no point in shooting now. That would only attract unwelcome attention.

Two of the worms detached from the group and slithered to their right, side by side. Using each other as support, they craned as high as they could, all the while producing a low, soft sound. Sam could only describe it as humming. They wove slowly from side to side, balancing on each other's torsos. The others, worm and human alike, watched, enthralled by the hypnotic movement. The two creatures were dancing the oldest of dances. "They are mating," whispered Sam.

"Major Carter, we do not know how long their intercourse will last. It would be wise to make our way back to the Stargate."

Sam stood and turned her back to the giant animals.

—

Bottom. Pottm. Pttm. Pounding of a heart. Too slow, too loud.

_'I'm alive.'_ He was not completely happy with his statement. It was cold, and it hurt, and he wanted to breathe but… '_Water._' OK, so, no breathing then. That would be stupid.

He had to get back to the surface. Preferably before his lungs decided to explode. Daniel opened his eyes and tried to straighten up, his stomach muscles straining. But he couldn't. Something was restraining him, keeping him on his back. He let out a precious burst of air.

_'Get rid of your pack, stupid.' _Daniel almost smacked his forehead when he understood what the problem was. He slid out of the straps of his backpack, which was stuck on the irregular ground. His sleeve got caught and drew him down. Daniel let his jacket go. Involuntarily he expelled another burst of air.

He caught a glimpse of light on his right, and the shadow of a body. "Jack!" The word came out awfully distorted, flowing on a trail of bubbles. Daniel followed the bubbles towards the dark shape of his friend. Jack was floating near the bottom. Lungs painfully empty, Daniel squeezed himself behind the other man's back and grabbed him by the armpits. One kick at the bottom of the lake sent them to the surface.

—

The first thing Jack was aware of was of the rush of air into his abused lungs. The second was that he had to kick his way free of whoever was holding his neck like that. With a growl, he evaded the grip, and lashed out with a fist. It contacted with something hard.

After years of training, Jack could drown a man without thinking. That was exactly what he was doing, striking blindly at his aggressor. Fingers reached for his sleeve, diverting the beam of the flashlight attached to his left wrist.

Jack spread his right hand on the other man's face, forcing him downwards. The stranger was all flailing fists and kicks, struggling to keep his head out of the water -- and not doing too bad a job of it. The man obviously had some sort of military training.

"Don't bite, you sonofa…"

"Hammk!"

Jack gasped. Even muffled by his hand, the voice was unmistakable. Daniel went under when he released his grip. Jack reacted quickly. He grabbed his teammate's hair and pulled him up. Letting Daniel cling to his pack, Jack treaded water while trying to regain his bearings, shining his flashlight around. It didn't take him long to spot a dark mass just ahead of them. It was the shore.

"I'm sorry, buddy," he said, helping Daniel onto the platform and against a wall.

Jack winced in sympathy as the man he had just tried to kill collapsed forward to retch. "You O.K.?"

"Remind me not to save your life next time," Daniel replied, teeth chattering.

Jack dumped his pack on the floor near the centre of their new resting place. The area was roughly ten feet square, framed by walls on two sides and water on the two others. The ceiling was high enough for a man to stand. Furniture was non-existent. It was freezing cold and completely dark but it didn't stink. Jack swept the area with his flashlight again, looking for a half-submerged worm tunnel or a river. He found nothing but the tunnel they had fallen from.

"No worms. That's good. No exit. That's bad." Jack put the flashlight on the ground. He shook his numb fingers and started unzipping his jacket. "Daniel. Strip."

"In a minute."

Jack saw him plunge his hand in the lake. Daniel was drinking before he could yell "No!".

"Spit it out! Spit it out right now!" Crap! Had he learned nothing during all these years spent in foreign countries and on other worlds? "You stupid geek! Do you have any idea what bugs could be swimming in this water?"

Daniel glared at him. "I don't know, and I don't care. It's not like it's going to change anything. I already drank half the lake saving your sorry hide."

Jack opened a side pocket of his pack. His canteen clanged when he put it on the ground. Daniel had a point, of course, but there was no need to make things worse. "We'll drink clean water from now on."

Daniel left the shore. A scowl distorted his face. Both men undressed clumsily in silence. They laid their clothes flat on the damp, rocky ground.

"What happened to your GDO?"

"Sorry. I didn't pull the straps tight enough. It got caught in my jacket."

"I still have mine. It will do." Naked finally, he grabbed his flashlight again. He fumbled with the clips of his backpack, and managed to get it open. "Crap!"

"Wh… What?"

"Waterproof bag my ass! Everything is soaked."

"Oh."

"Where's yours? Where's all your stuff?"

Daniel gestured lazily in the general direction of the water.

"Swell!" Jack scowled.

"Hey, cut me some slack. It got caught on rocks and…"

"I know! You did O.K., all right?"

"Well, stop yelling then!"

Daniel's odd behaviour set off Jack's warning bells. The kid was in shock, and it was partly by his fault. Jack couldn't count on him to be rational for now. He had to act alone, while he was still high on adrenaline -- before the cold hit him so hard he wouldn't be able to move anymore.

Grinding his teeth, Jack perused the contents of his pack. It actually was waterproof, no matter what he had said before. He kicked himself for not closing it properly up in the tunnel. He could only hope that something could be salvaged.

—

Daniel curled up into a ball. What did Teal'c say about coping with the cold? _'Open to the cold. Let it in. Accept it as part of yourself and you will cease to feel it._' Well, Daniel didn't care to open to anything right now.

He was vaguely aware of Jack drying him with his travel towel. It could still dry when wet, but the fabric was cold. It wasn't pleasant. When Jack abandoned the towel on the floor, they huddled together for a long time, shivering miserably in an attempt to regain a semblance of warmth.

"Mylar blanket?" Daniel asked.

"We're wrapped in it already."

"Hadn't noticed." He could feel it now. It was doing its job. Daniel relaxed, and managed to look Jack in the eye. "You're a jerk," he said.

"Why? Because I punched you? I acted on reflex. You know, you're getting good at the hand-to-hand stuff. I didn't manage to drown you."

"No, that's fine. I knew what to expect. You just came to at the wrong moment. I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't yell for no reason, though." Daniel dismissed the incident with a wave of his hand. It was weird that Jack trying to kill him hadn't upset him as much as him being angry for no reason. When he had felt Jack's hand clamp over his face, he had been on the verge of panicking, but he knew where his leader's reaction came from. The anger was unfair, and harder to deal with.

Daniel stretched and moved out of the shelter afforded by Jack and the blanket. He limped to the lantern Jack had set up to have a closer look at the equipment displayed on the ground. Most of it was useless in the current situation. The radios were both toast. All their clothes were soaked. They still had a sleeping bag, fortunately. Jack's Beretta needed to be dried out. Daniel had lost his. Out of all his equipment, he only retained his knife. There also was a first aid kit, complete but for the bandage Jack had applied to his ankle.

What really caught Daniel's interest, though, was the cooker with its food containers. "Fancy a coffee?"

"It was in your bag."

All right. That was bad. "We won't survive without coffee."

"Two days, three at most, Danny. Then you can go to Starbucks."

"That's way too long. I say we should try to get out by ourselves."

"Ah, because you see a way out?"

"The tunnel…"

"Up there. Way up."

Daniel looked up in the direction Jack was pointing. He could barely make out the darker shape of the hole from which they had fallen, near the ceiling of the natural cave. "Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh'. We can't climb that. Now bring back the gun. And don't forget the sleeping bag. The jerk is cold."

—

Jack was on first watch. Dropping his hand to the ground, he found his Beretta. Satisfied that he would get it easily in case of need, he relaxed again and listened to his surroundings. Daniel was lying on his side, and though he didn't move, Jack could tell from his breathing that he wasn't asleep.

"Your foot?"

"Fine. Painkillers rock." The slurred words were a sure sign that Daniel was exhausted.

Jack flicked his flashlight on to check on their little installation. They had erected the tent as far from the shore as possible. Cold air kept coming in through the open flaps. The sleeping bag served as a mattress and kept their butts and feet from freezing. With the Mylar blanket wrapped around them, the two men were staying as close as possible to share some precious body heat. It wasn't completely efficient, though. Jack rubbed his hand against his friend's back. "So what's wrong? You cold?"

"A bit. I'm wondering about the others," Daniel replied.

Jack swallowed. "They're both fast runners. It's been a few hours now. They're probably trying to coax Fraiser to let them out of the infirmary."

Satisfied with the smile he could see on his friend's face, Jack turned the flashlight off. "You need to catch some Z's."

"Jack, the beasts… What do you think they are?"

Jack wondered about that, too. The colour, the shape, the teeth, the beady eyes… The creatures looked a lot like Junior. They had seen animals of all sorts on the planets they had visited, some similar to Earth's, some very different. The creatures could just be a local, natural life form. But for all he knew, they could also be giant, mutated Goa'uld. Larval ones. He dismissed the idea with a shrug. "Look, they ain't no snakeheads. Sure, they are oversized, but they are just your standard run-of-the-mill worm. We could use them as bait for fishing!"

"I'd hate to see the hook."

"Smarty pants."

"No pants, remember?" He paused. "You know, I'm still wondering about the city up there. From what I saw, the worms did a lot of damage in a short time. If they were here all the time, how come that there are still ruins to start with? I'd imagine that there would be nothing left. It's…"

"… time to go to sleep," finished Jack. "Now shut up."

After a couple of overdone sighs, Daniel kept still long enough for his breathing to slow. Jack shivered. The soup they had eaten earlier was a wispy memory. Biting the inside of his cheeks so that his teeth wouldn't chatter, Jack focused on the lantern in front of him. It was the only spot of light in the place, and a feeble one at that. Jack had turned it down to its minimal power setting so it would last as long as possible. The dim light was their only shield from the blackness that threatened to swallow them.

Thankfully the worm quakes had stopped a couple of hours earlier. The cave was silent but for the constant dripping of water and the soft gurgle of the lake. Every now and then, when the lantern looked like little more than a hallucination, Jack would turn the flashlight on to scan the area. Mud, and rocks, and water were the only things that met his scrutiny. The place was devoid of life. P8J-453 was charming, just charming.

—

Armed soldiers rushed to the 'Gate room as the sirens wailed.

"Offworld activation! I repeat, offworld activation!"

Hammond rushed to the Sergeant's side.

"Incoming travellers! We have a code… It's SG1, Sir."

"Open the iris. And send a medical team!" SG1 wasn't due back for another thirty six hours. That couldn't be good. Hammond rushed down the stairs to the 'Gate room, arriving in time to see Carter crash onto the ramp. Teal'c came close behind, soaked and puffing.

"Clear the ramp! Major Carter, Teal'c, what happened?"

His question went unheard in the midst of the excitement. Medics were pulling Teal'c away from the Stargate. The big man seemed barely able to walk. Fraiser was busy at Carter's side, helping her down the ramp and onto a stretcher. Hammond glared at the blue shimmering surface, waiting for the two other men that had to come through. Any minute now. Dirty and tired and maybe hurt, but coming home…

The wormhole shut down.

The general's heart sank. "Major Carter! Where are Colonel O'Neill and Doctor Jackson?" This time he spoke loudly enough for the whole room to hear him.

"Sir! We were separated, Sir." The major looked up at him, eyes blurry with exhaustion. She wiped her face with her left hand. Hammond noticed that her other arm lay limp on her stomach. "We were attacked by local life forms, Sir. The colonel and Daniel are still there."

"Teal'c?"

"I concur, General Hammond. We had no choice other than to flee." Teal'c's voice dropped. "We left them behind."

"Are they alive?"

"They were last time we checked, Sir," said Carter. "It was almost four hours ago, I think."

"Indeed."

Hammond clapped his hands together. "Doctor, take them to the infirmary. I'll be there for a debriefing in fifteen minutes."

Hammond turned and left the room before Janet could acknowledge his order.

—

Jack crashed forward under the weight of whatever had hit him in the back. "What the…?"

"Jack!"

He wriggled from under the collapsed tent, dislodging his heavy opponent for a short moment. A hand grabbed his wrist so hard that he heard a distinct crack. He paused, bracing himself for the burning pain of a broken bone. He was surprised to feel nothing. His aggressor had only smashed his GDO. Jack started striking in all directions, trying to turn the flashlight on, his thumb frantically searching for the switch. "Get off!"

Grunts and sounds of fists impacting flesh came from Daniel's direction. That meant there were at least two assailants, if not more. Yes, there were more. Or else they had too many hands. Strong, slimy arms wrapped around his torso and dragged Jack backwards. He let himself fall on his knees, breaking his adversary's hold, and struck behind him with all the strength he could muster. A satisfying yelp followed. Another kick to something soft -- _a female breast?_ -- and he was free of the hand that had been clinging to his calf. Jack crawled forward, guided by his memory. He had to find his gun.

A detonation shattered the night. It seemed that Daniel had found the Beretta first, but the struggle didn't stop. The shot wasn't followed by any cry of pain.

"Try ag…" Hard rock slammed into Jack's jaw, stealing his breath. The stronger of his two opponents had caught up with him, and was lying on top him with an arm around his throat in a very secure grip. Pinned to the ground, Jack twisted his legs and pelvis to destabilize his attacker. He managed to lift himself using his arms, ignoring the pain in his muscles. He was about to roll over on his captor when the female jumped on both combatants, knocking Jack flat again. He let out a yell of pain as his cheekbone collided with the flashlight.

—

The guy was wearing brass knuckles, and he was using them with way too much enthusiasm. Daniel slid aside to avoid yet another blow. Firing in the air hadn't got him the kind of attention he wanted. If they had been surprised or afraid, they hadn't shown it.

Daniel straightened up. "Cha'hai! We come in peace. Tek ma'tek." He doubted his plea would be heard. He braced himself as he felt the draft that would bring a new punch or kick. Struck hard, he lost his balance and fell. He was still holding the gun but he almost lost his grip.

Reflexively, he pulled the trigger for the second time, aiming low. He growled, furious with the aliens, furious with himself, furious with the gun. As the bullet left the barrel, he knew it would hit a target.

It did.

There was a scream, high-pitched, inhuman, almost a howl. Everything froze. The scream filled the cave, reverberating against the walls, vibrating inside Daniel's body. Accusing him. As Daniel dropped his weapon to cover his ears with his hands, he forgot his pain, the cold, and the sticky substance that the aliens had left on his skin. He forgot Jack, the ruins outside, and the cave. The scream grew inside him, annihilating his thoughts, annihilating him.

The sound died as abruptly as it had started. "I'm sorry," pleaded Daniel, loathing the shakiness of his voice. "Please…"

He repelled a hand that tried to grab his wrist, but could not avert being seized the next time. Fingers clutched his limbs, arms coiled around his chest. Daniel closed his eyes as he was dragged to the water.

—

Teal'c sat on the edge of an empty bed. He watched as a nurse once again took the patient's vitals. Sam had passed out on the way to the infirmary. Even though Janet didn't look too worried about her condition, Teal'c felt guilty for having allowed her to push herself beyond her limits. He knew that she would have run longer, and then walked faster, had he not been here to slow her down a little. Yet here she was, pale, lying unconscious in a hospital bed. He had failed her. He had failed all of them.

"Teal'c, can you make a quick report of what happened on P8J-453?"

"General Hammond." Teal'c hadn't noticed the general. He stood up.

"Remain seated, son. You look exhausted."

"Thank you, General." Teal'c closed his eyes for a second. "We were exploring ruins, north of the Stargate. Major Carter and I were near the edge of the city, while O'Neill and Daniel Jackson went further in. Suddenly O'Neill ordered us to leave the place. Just after that the ground started to shake."

"An earthquake?"

"No. It was not an earthquake." He paused, aware that he wouldn't be able to relate exactly what he had seen. "Worms… sprang up from the ground through tunnels and crevices. Their appearance is similar to that of my symbiote, but they are larger."

"How big exactly?"

"The smaller ones were ten feet long."

"Ten feet long…" Hammond looked away from Teal'c. "Do you know what happened to Colonel O'Neill and Doctor Jackson?"

"They fell in a tunnel and were unable to get out on their own. O'Neill informed me that a dead worm was blocking their egress." Teal'c had lost sight of them when one of the beasts had attacked him. If he had been there for them, he might have found a way to bring them back to the surface. Instead, he had run away. _'No one gets left behind'_ Teal'c had betrayed SG1's motto. "Major Carter and I were forced to flee."

"How long a walk is it to the ruins? Six, seven hours?"

"That is correct. The path is extremely rough."

"I see. I'm sending an UAV, and SG-2 is already getting ready to go."

Teal'c stood up again. "General Hammond, I request permission to accompany them."

"Permission denied. You need to rest."

The Jaffa nodded. He didn't like it, but the general was correct. He was so tired that he would only slow down the rescue team. "They must be careful." Teal'c paused before quoting Daniel. "It is still happening."

—

The water hadn't warmed up since the last time they had fallen in it. Daniel held his breath, knowing he would be unable to resist his aggressors' intention much longer. He had lost count of how many hands were pushing or pulling him down. He was sure of two things, though. The aliens were stubborn, and they didn't seem to care about the dark or the cold.

After a last glance at the lantern's beacon, he let himself sink. Sandwiched between two aliens, he swam along, exhaling as little as possible.

—

It hurt more than a worm's bite. Iskur grazed the burning wound on his leg. He could feel a hard bump below his skin. Something had penetrated his body, something the stranger's weapon had hurled into him.

Iskur crawled into the water. Today he welcomed the cold, for it subdued his pain. The young man held his breath and let himself sink, guided by his sister. Fellow hunters were leading the two strangers to the pipe that linked this cave to the first dike. In spite of his curiosity, Iskur wondered if it was a good idea to bring them along. Their capture had been troublesome even though they seemed mysteriously unaware of their surroundings. They felt primitive. Extremely so.

They were dangerous.

Iskur's companions had split up the strangers to flank them. Unwilling to be left behind, he inserted himself between the two groups. He slid into the big pipe with the ease of long practice. The stranger in front of him was not struggling anymore, probably doing his best to hold his breath.

Iskur raised a hand. As soon as he felt the end of the tunnel, he swam upwards, eager to fill his lungs with fresh air. Next to him, the creatures were coughing like sick children.

Two dikes to go. They would never make it.

—

Solid ground, at last! The slimy creatures loosened their hold, letting Jack fall to his knees. The last leg of their journey had been the easiest, since they had been allowed to keep their heads out of the water. It was just as well. He wouldn't have been able to go through another dive.

He had no idea of where he was. Probably just in another cave, he thought. At least it was warm -- as had been the last stretch of water he had had to swim through. The change of temperature had been abrupt. Jack doubted it was a natural phenomenon, even though he couldn't hear machinery.

A hand brushed his chest and grabbed his dog-tags. Jack grunted and pushed the hand away. Another replaced it. "OK, be like that! For all I care…"

Something hissed. A second hand touched his chest. And then a third.

"What's wrong?"

Jack sighed with relief on hearing Daniel's voice. "They are playing with my dog-tags. What do you think? Do I let them or not?"

"Yes, just stay where you are."

Jack's ordeal didn't last long. The hissing stopped, and with it the hands disappeared.

"It's over," he said. "I think they're gone."

"Can you turn the flashlight on?"

"I lost it." Jack pressed random buttons on his watch, and finally found the one that lit the dial. The green light contrasted so strongly with the pitch blackness of the cave that it hurt his eyes. It wasn't strong enough to reveal anything about the place, though. "Here, can you see that?"

"Is that your watch?"

"Yes."

"Good. Mine doesn't seem to work anymore."

Jack heard someone approaching him. The light died just as he was able to make out Daniel's hand reaching towards him. Jack grabbed him in a bear hug. "You're sticky," he said.

"Speak for yourself."

"We need to wash that slime away."

Jack still had a rough idea of where the lake was, and led Daniel to it. The two men helped each other rinse off in silence, a silence Jack didn't break even when he noticed that Daniel's dressing had been removed. His ankle was swollen. The wounds didn't bleed anymore. They exuded pus instead. A rapid inspection of Daniel's body revealed more bruises and scratches, appearing like misplaced shadows in the feeble green light of Jack's watch. "They beat the crap out of you."

"What about you?"

Bad question. Very bad. So far Jack had managed to ignore all the signals his abused body was sending to his brain. The feeble control he had on his perceptions didn't hold up when confronted with Daniel's worried tone. The first injury to rear its ugly head was a bruise on his shoulder. Jack winced. It was almost painless. Almost.

Encouraged by the knowledge that Jack wouldn't be able to suppress them anymore, the other pains reasserted themselves one after the other. The weaker ones registered first. Bruises and scratches and bumps, a whole collection of them. On his limbs, on his torso, on his back. Oh yeah, on his back. That hurt like a bitch. Even that was nothing compared to his right cheekbone, courtesy the lost flashlight. The throbbing burned through his skull, leaving him feeling weak and dizzy.

"Daniel. Next time, don't ask, OK?"

He blacked out.

—

The cot warmed under Daniel's touch. It wasn't made of wood like he had thought at first. The texture felt too soft for that. Leather, maybe. Daniel outlined the contour of the thick board, wiping out the slimy residue on its corners. It was big enough to accommodate two people.

Daniel groped for Jack. He was relieved to find him in the same spot. Jack was still unconscious on the shore of the lake. He tried to rouse him, but the other man didn't stir. Daniel pondered whether he should leave him there or carry him to the cot. His battered body didn't feel capable of coping with Jack's limp weight. He desperately wanted a nap. On the other hand, it would be rude to fall asleep on a cot while his friend was lying on rock.

Daniel took a deep breath. _'Come on, Space monkey. Put all that gym practice to use.'_ He sat before Jack, lifted him onto his back… and fell flat on his stomach, his arms giving out. So much for the heroic mental picture of him carrying his friend slung over his shoulder like a cinematic Hercules. _'Why do I care?'_ he comforted himself. _'No one could see it anyway.' 'Unless you're blind, and they can see you.' 'No, not blind. I've seen Jack's watch…' 'Have you, really?' 'Shut up.' 'You thought you saw it. Are you always so delusional?' 'Shut up!'_

Talking to himself wouldn't help, especially when his inner voice sounded like Jack on a bad day. God, his headache was getting worse… Grunting, Daniel lifted himself on all fours, Jack's limp form spread across his back. He took time to engage his muscles. His arms were screaming abuse at him, but he thought he could make it without losing his balance. Slowly, he felt his way to the cot.

"Hey who…"

With a twist of his shoulder Daniel dropped Jack on the cot and fell back, landing on his butt. "Don't hit me! It's just me."

"Just you? Daniel. OK, I get that. Wow, I feel…"

"Thirsty. Headache. Nauseous," interrupted Daniel. _'Blind as a bat, too.'_

"… like crap." Jack coughed. "Did I pass out?"

"Yeah, same here. The aliens woke me up. They've brought a cot for us."

"This thing?"

"Yes. The alien version of a double bed, minus the pillows."

"Sweet."

"There's also a bucket. I think they want us to use it as a chamber pot." Or else the alien who had grabbed his groin when he had been presented with the utensil hadn't done this to overcome their slight communication problem.

"What can you tell me about the jelly-guys?"

Daniel sat on the cot beside Jack. "Not much. I haven't managed to talk with them yet. The bucket is definitely hand-made, so I'd say they are an intelligent life form."

"How intelligent? Are we talking Asguard or cavemen?"

"Well, that's hard to tell as long as I can't communicate with them. But I don't know if you've noticed how warm it is here. It could just be that we are near a heat source, but I doubt it."

"Hmm. Noticed that."

"I have no idea why we're here, though, or what they intend to do with us." Daniel shook his head, trying to get rid of the voice hovering at the back of his mind. _'Well, Genius, you killed one of them. What do you think they want to do? Have tea?' 'Didn't kill it. Didn't.'_

"We don't know where the hell we are either."

Daniel rubbed his eyes. "Jack… could you light your watch for a second, please?"

"What for? It's not bright enough, ya know. We won't be able to see the place."

_'I want to check I can still see. I want to prove the Voice wrong.'_ That was the only answer he could come up with. Better not talk about the Voice, though. Daniel clearly remembered a certain padded cell. He remembered all too vividly how quickly his team had decided to send him there. He swallowed hard. _'You'll see who's wrong, Danny.'_ "Please."

The green light flared. He could see it, without a doubt. The Voice had lied. Leaning closer, Daniel peered at the dial. It was blurry. He couldn't make out the numbers without his glasses. That didn't surprise him. However, he didn't expect the burning sensation in his eyes. He blinked, letting a few tears wash away the pain. When he opened his eyes again, the darkness had returned. "Thank you."

The Voice sniggered and faded away.

—

The UAV didn't make it past the spiral stairs. A gust of wind from the cliff flipped it over on its back and it landed on the platform, camera aimed at the distant Stargate. Seconds later, the downpour and the mud conjointly fried the circuits which had survived the crash.

The MALP however, was still transmitting images of rain and cobblestones. After a short, rough ride, the robot had gotten stuck in the mud. No one could tell how long it would last before it would be tipped over by the tempest. The weather had been no worse than unpleasant when SG-1 had been sent through. During the last hour it had turned the place into a no-man's-land, and it was getting worse by the minute. Hammond had quickly concluded he couldn't chance sending a rescue team to that merciless planet. They would only become stranded themselves.

Backing away from the video screen, he turned to face Coburn. "Major, your team is staying here."

"Sir, with all due respect…"

"We have discussed this already. Dismissed, Major."

"Yes Sir."

He had lost so many men already, in so short a time. Starting with Kawalsky, back at the beginning, then so many more. And it was hard, each new loss hurting more than the one before. Hammond wouldn't give up on O'Neill and Jackson until he was sure there was no hope. As much as he valued them, he wouldn't send another team to a certain death on their behalf.

Hammond closed his eyes as Coburn left. There was no point in maintaining the wormhole to P8J-453 for the moment. The General ordered it shut down with a gesture. "We will try again every four hours," he stated as firmly as he could.

—

Jack stretched one arm towards the wall which they had pushed the cot against. He was amazed at his ability to feel the tiny irregularities on the hard surface. Even though he couldn't make out their shape, he found his new pastime quite fascinating. It was almost addicting.

He turned on his side, careful not to contract his stomach muscles. Daniel was back from his little trip to the bucket and resumed his seat between the wall and Jack. Neither men had been able to keep down any of the food provided by the aliens. This was hardly surprising considering it was very smelly raw fish. The water from the lake at least seemed drinkable. It had to be.

Jack placed his hand on Daniel's nape. The heat coming from his skin was worrying. "How do you feel?"

"I'm fine."

OK, so Daniel was not in a communicative mood. When it came to personal matters, he rarely was in any case. Jack got the message and removed his hand. Carefully, he stood up. He didn't know how high the ceiling was. He searched for it with his arms outstretched above him, and only when he was sure that he couldn't find anything and wouldn't bump his head in the immediate vicinity did he allow himself to relax his stance.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm exploring our home-away-from-home."

"How?"

"I'll follow the wall."

"OK, just wait a second, I'm coming."

"No, you don't. You stay where you are!"

"Jack…"

"I need you to speak at regular intervals so I can come back to you."

"That sounds like a good idea, actually."

"And why does that surprise you?" Jack leant against the wall and stretched his left arm forward before taking a few tentative steps.

"I'm not surprised!"

"You sounded like it."

"Did not."

"Did too! You just did your best "baffled genius" impersonation ever, if you ask me."

The rock -- or, at least, Jack assumed it was rock -- felt a bit cooler than the room. The wall was reasonably straight, though the numerous recesses and uneven surface showed it was a natural formation. Jack had trouble judging distance in the dark. He didn't know how far he was from the cot when the wall abruptly turned to the left.

"Daniel?"

"I'm not moving. What did you find?"

"It's turning." He went on in silence for a few steps. "Wait… turning again. I'm walking back to you, but I'm on the other side."

"It's a closed room, then?"

"I haven't found a doorway yet."

"The aliens didn't come by the lake when they brought us the fish. We would have heard them."

"We would? Hmm. Yes, I think you're right."

Jack almost fell when his right hand, which was trailing the wall, suddenly met nothing but thin air. "Bingo."

Regaining his balance, he turned to face the newfound corridor. His right hand brushed the edge of the wall. He stepped aside and spread his arms to find the other end of the doorway. "There's a passage here. It's wide enough for two people to walk side by side."

"Can you describe its shape?"

Using his fingers, Jack examined the inside of the doorway. "It's straight on the sides, and the top is arched."

"Is it symmetrical?"

"Think so."

"Yes!"

"And that's exciting because?"

"It's architecture. Well, maybe that's stretching it a bit far. Anyway, they can dig tunnels, obviously. It means that they don't satisfy themselves with adapting to their environment. They modify it. First the bucket and the cot, now this. How smooth is it?"

That was a long speech for someone who sounded almost asleep. "It's rough," answered Jack. "It's uneven, like near the cot."

"I'll have a look at that. See if I can find a pattern."

"Keep talking. I'm going in." Jack took a deep breath. No sound came from the tunnel apart from the echo of his own steps. The first ones lacked confidence, but as he went deeper into the narrowing corridor, he grew bolder and started walking at a near normal pace.

"How is it going now?"

"All clear for now," he shouted back. "OK, now tell me how these guys are doing in the dark. They wear infrared goggles, or what?"

"I have no idea. Maybe they don't need to see."

A low hiss stopped Jack dead in his tracks. "We've got company," he murmured.

For one minute nothing happened. Jack was almost tempted to go on, to see what the creature's reaction would be. Then the hissing intensified. The warning was clear enough. Slowly, Jack backed out, using the wall as a guide. The creature made no effort to conceal that it followed him to the doorway, where Jack was forced to turn his back on the danger. Daniel called out to him repeatedly. Jack inwardly thanked him when he finally sat beside him. Without the unfaltering beacon of his friend's worried voice, Jack didn't think he would have had the guts to cross the empty space from the tunnel to the cot.

"Something happened, Jack, didn't it? You OK?"

"Yes, and yes. It's just that they don't like casual strollers."

—

The video footage transmitted by the new UAV was heart breaking. The ruins had been desolate before. Now words failed to describe the war zone that the ancient city had become to resemble in the last few days. Amazingly, the tower Daniel had visited was still standing.

Sam walked to the back of Sergeant Davis' chair. Her left arm was secured in a sling. She pointed at the upper left corner of the monitor. "Can you close in on this area?"

"Yes, Ma'am. One moment. There."

That was where she had last seen the Colonel and Daniel. The drone flew slowly a few feet above the wrecked surface. Sam would have appreciated a blurry view. Fate denied her this small mercy. The onboard camera recorded every fold of the worm's skin and every purple patch of decomposition with cruel clarity. Small furry animals were fighting over the decaying remains of the beast, unaware that their shrieks were traversing galaxies.

The UAV performed a U-turn before scanning the same area again, dipping closer to the ground. Sam stepped back. She already knew they wouldn't find any trace of the two men. The head of the worm was still buried in the ground.

—

Daniel plunged his left ankle into the lake. Going for a full dip was extremely tempting, even after having been dragged underwater by the aliens, but Jack had expressly forbidden him to do so. Leaning in a position that allowed him to keep his sore leg in the tepid water, Daniel cupped his hand and tried to quench his thirst. His mouth felt dry, awfully so, even though he was sure he had had plenty to drink.

"Hey, ya trying to dry out the lake or what?"

Ignoring Jack's sarcasm, Daniel swallowed another mouthful of water. It didn't make him feel any better. He was too hot for comfort. After having almost frozen to death, he had initially welcomed the warmth of the cave. But this heat was moist and oppressive, very different in its nature from the desert heat he was familiar with. It stuck to his skin, penetrated his very bones, clogged his tired brain. It was unbearable, even more so than the throbbing pain in his leg.

He needed more than a drink. Maybe if he was silent enough, he could slip into the water. He wouldn't go far, he'd stay near the shore. Of course he would have to explain to an angry colonel why he was wet later. Later. Yes. He could cope with Jack after he had coped with the heat. Now.

He poured some water on his neck and shoulders, welcoming the relative coolness on his skin, and felt refreshed. It felt like he had expected, and he wanted more of that. He glanced behind himself in Jack's direction. Surprise surprise, it was still pitch black, and he still couldn't see a thing. Jack hadn't grown a neon sign on his head while he was looking away.

Daniel pivoted to lie on his belly. He slipped surreptitiously into the lake, supporting himself with his arms until his uninjured foot found the pebbled bottom. The water was waist deep. Daniel closed his eyes, giving himself up to the coolness. _'Oh that feels good.' _

Soft waves were brushing his lower body, washing away the pain, the blood, the heat. He tensed when something small and scaly touched his knee before swimming away. He had felt the same thing before, when the aliens had led them from their initial cave to here. It was just a fish, Daniel had no doubt about that. Jack would probably say it was a piranha. Daniel toyed with the thought, wondering if he should worry, before deciding that he would be fine. He could always jump back out if the local wildlife decided to take another bite at him.

His eyes snapped opened. The mood was broken. Daniel tensed. He recognized the tickling sensation on the bridge of his nose for what it was. His military-honed sixth sense was informing him that he was being observed. Someone was here -- not in the water, but on the platform, just in front of him. "Jack?"

"Yes? You need help coming back?"

The voice was too far away to belong to whoever was watching him. The creature crept even closer, until he could hear it breathing in his ear. This was definitely not Jack.

"No. I'm fine. Don't move. I'm… not alone." He paused. "But please, don't move."

"Ya gotta kidding me, right? I'm coming."

"Don't! It's not threatening me."

"How would you now?"

Daniel shrugged. To be honest, he _was_ afraid, but Jack coming to his rescue was a potential disaster. The alien wouldn't like that, Daniel could bet on it. "Stay were you are," he said in a tone that brooked no argument.

He hoisted himself up out of the water noiselessly to avoid alarming Jack any further. He would learn about his forbidden little bath soon enough. When he sat on the ground in the awkward position he had adopted to protect his foot, he heard the Not-Jack shift, probably to face him. He held out his open hands, trusting this would be understood as a sign of peace and humility like with every culture he had met so far. He was confident that the alien could see him, one way or another. Was it imitating his gesture? Daniel didn't have a clue.

The linguist had reached the particular stage where his only desire was to communicate. He wanted, no, he _needed_ to understand. His brilliant mind craved contact, whatever the cost. He would build a bridge between the Tau'ri and the creatures of the dark, even though they hadn't spoken so far. He just didn't know how. For lack of a better idea, he fell back on his usual method.

"Hi, my name is…", he started.

What happened next occurred so quickly it left him dazed. The Not-Jack grabbed his wrist, forcing him to turn his palm upward. A small object was placed in his hand, which was then closed into a fist. The alien pressed his fingers against Daniel's knuckles, and then he was gone.

—

The half-worm looked even bigger than Teal'c had expected from watching the video footage. Its color had changed from yellow to dark purple. The thick leathery skin had been torn in places by the small mammals who had scattered under SG-2's approach.

Teal'c walked around the beast. They would have to drag it out of the hole somehow.

"O'Neill, Coburn speaking. Do you copy? Doctor Jackson?"

The Jaffa had stopped listening to the repetitive monolog long ago. It hurt to think that O'Neill and Daniel Jackson had not answered their calls. Teal'c forced himself to believe they had survived, no matter what. One week was not so long for warriors, was it? With all the rain they had probably managed to find a source of water. Teal'c had fought at their side, and he had learned to trust and admire their resilience.

"They are alive," he declared.

Griff squatted close to the worm. "You said they were under this monster?" His voice sounded strangely muffled because of the hand he was pressing against his nose.

"O'Neill mentioned that he and Daniel Jackson had fallen into a tunnel, the entrance of which was blocked by one of the creatures. It is safe to assume that this is the one he was talking about."

Major Coburn let go of his radio. "OK, guys, let's pull this stinkin' carcass out of here. Pierce, tie a rope around its body, as close as the hole as you can. Lloyd, stop barfing and get your ass into gear. We'll need all the muscles available."

Once Pierce had secured the rope with a clove hitch, the five men lined up, holding the remaining end.

"At three. One, two, three!"

They pulled, hard.

"One, two, three!"

Teal'c felt his muscles surge. Their combined effort was just enough to drag the worm, inch by inch, out of the hole. Every ten minutes, they stopped to sip some water and rest their abused arms.

"One, two, three!"

When the head of the worm finally slid out of its hole, the men collapsed, exhausted.

Teal'c was the first to stand. He made his way to the hole, fighting his anxiety. What he saw froze his blood.

"Teal'c, are they down there?"

He hoped not. His gaze locked on the dark, mirrored surface a few feet below, he swallowed. "It appears that the tunnel is empty, Major Coburn."

"Could they have fallen in a hole or something?"

"There is a indeed a cavity. It is flooded."

—

When his dripping teammate had finally made it back to the cot, Jack asked if he was still in one piece. Then he had grumbled and snarled. Oh, he understood pretty well why Daniel had decided to disregard his orders and play with the mermaids. This was a rainforest in a box, only without trees. Even so, Jack felt that he shouldn't have to pull his sopping hair out because the kid felt a bit too hot.

Make that burning hot.

Jack rolled the bullet Daniel had been given between his fingers. "Show-off," he said.

"What?"

"Looks like the local surgeons are begging for attention. Aren't recognized by their peers, or something. The bullet. They're just showing off. You fired a bullet? Lookie here, I can remove a bullet."

"Do you think I killed the guy?"

Jack squeezed his friend's shoulder. "That shriek didn't sound dead to me."

"Jack, seriously, why did they give it to me?"

"You tell me. You're the one who's supposed to know that kind of thing."

Jack heard a grunt. He really hoped that Daniel was going to lie down and sleep soon. He'd been fidgety since going for his illicit swim. Since he couldn't pace, he had taken to sitting in the centre of the cot and waving his arms around. The draught his movements created was driving Jack crazy. It didn't help his headache, either.

Unable to take it any longer, he pushed his friend against the wall and grabbed his hands, dropping the bullet. "You. Stop moving."

The bullet stopped rolling somewhere near the edge of the cot. Daniel, however, kept on writhing and grunting. Jack tightened his grip. The effort spiked his heart rate, but he managed to pin the other man down until he quietened. Neither of them spoke for a while. Jack's pounding heart and their rapid breathing sounded too loud in the otherwise silent cave.

"Help me up."

Jack gasped. "No. You need a break. Hell, I need a break! Just lie down and sleep, will ya?"

"Come on, Jack. Don't tell me you're still pissed off because I went in the water."

"Duh. Of course I'm still pissed! What do you expect?" Jack clenched his fingers in Daniel's wrists. "But that's not the point. I want you to sleep. Now."

"Can't sleep if you hurt me." Daniel's calm voice was belied by his shaking body. "Now help me up."

"Why?" Jack, closed his eyes in despair. He had forgotten his simple rule. If he didn't want Daniel to have his way, he couldn't let him elaborate on what he wanted. Because he always had a good reason to misbehave.

"Have you noticed the relief on the wall?"

"Well yeah, it's quite annoying! I'd bet my back looks like one of those fancy relief maps."

"No, not a map… rather like a novel. In Braille."

"Writing?" Jack paused, weighing all the implications. If Daniel was right, and if he could decipher the aliens' language, then they could communicate with them. If it had been written by the same creatures. If they also had some sort of tool to write. If… Lots of ifs, but Jack trusted that Daniel could erase these difficulties with a brush of his hand.

Without a word, he released his friend and lifted him onto his feet.

"Thank you."

"Do you want me to use my light?" Jack fiddled with his watch, and finally found the tiny button.

"Yes… Uh, actually no. It doesn't help that much."

When he was sure that Daniel could stand upright on his own, Jack sat down. He could hear the soft brush of fingers on the wall, and would have bet that Daniel was biting his lower lip, his eyes focused on the scribbles in front of him.

Not that his eyes would be of any use right now.

"So. Did you notice the writing just now, or…?"

"Or. I was thirsty. I really couldn't care less. And then you were yelling at me."

"You poor baby."

"Shut up," ordered Daniel, before adding an afterthought. "Please."

Jack smiled. He'd been defeated, but he could deal with insubordination if it meant that Daniel was finally able to focus on something constructive again.


	3. Part 3

**Stay in Touch, by Tefnut  
Part 3**

He had already figured out that the writing was grouped into big blocks of text separated by sinuous friezes. As accustomed as he was to touching every artefact he could put his hands on, he couldn't quite make out the individual signs yet. They were too small for his calloused fingers.

"Can you read those bumps, then?"

"Um… I can't recognize the letters, but… at least they're not cursive. I'll need some time, Jack."

"OK, understood."

Daniel lifted his left foot, leaving only his toes in contact with the ground. He couldn't let the pain in his ankle hinder his concentration, so he shoved it back in a corner of his mind. It was not completely effective.

Hours passed, marked by his frequent trips to the lake when he needed to quench his thirst. Jack went with him every single time and drank as much as he did. Daniel felt the comfort in his friend's support more acutely since the creatures had come back.

He was painfully aware of their presence. Their hissing, breathing, sneaking presence. He wondered whether Jack had noticed it as well when a hand grabbed his right ankle. "Hey!"

"Shh, it's only me. I just… I don't want you to stray away while you're focused on that stuff."

"I won't." An over-protective Jack was a sure sign that he was bored, or worried. Probably both. Right now, Daniel couldn't bring himself to be angry with him. It was too dark, and he was afraid. Just a little.

"I'm just making sure."

"Thanks, Mom. Just move a bit, I'm going to sit." The first few signs of each block were identical, and Daniel was now convinced that they were a formal introduction to stand-alone texts, not paragraphs as he had first thought. He might as well study a text he wouldn't need to stand up for.

"Daniel, do me a favour."

"Yes?"

"Think out loud."

Daniel chuckled. That was unusual. For a while he tried his best to express his thoughts in words, sometimes in English, sometimes lapsing into other languages. But his fingers were brushing the unknown symbols, sending information that his brain couldn't process as words, and he had to stop talking to keep on working.

Smiling, he assured Jack that he would talk more later, and became silent. He would soon know what language he was dealing with.

—

On seeing what was left of the clearing where SG-1 had spent their night one week before, they had decided to camp in the forest. There was a striking contrast between the bare areas, where the passage of the worms was most obvious, and the woods, which were almost entirely unaffected. Something in the vegetation kept the creatures at bay.

They had left the site early in the morning and were back on the road with Major Coburn in the lead. Teal'c had walked on automatic for the whole trip, distancing himself from the recent events. Hours passed, unnoticed. He was taken aback when he caught sight of the spiral stairs.

It wasn't easy for Teal'c to leave the planet with so few results. He had taken more samples from the trees, as well as chunks of flesh from the dead worm, but he had been unsuccessful in finding any clue to O'Neill and Daniel Jackson's whereabouts. Not that he hadn't tried. He'd been about to dive in the flooded cave when he had spotted a disturbance in the dark water. It took no genius to understand what was lurking there. He had witnessed the exact same thing on the planet of the Unas. The only notable difference between the primitive Goau'ld and the variety here was their size.

Admittedly, he had no proof that the worms were Goau'ld. He just had this nagging feeling that his symbiote appreciated the company.

"Teal'c, you go first."

Teal'c nodded and climbed up the stairs. His feet weighed a ton, and suddenly he understood what his master Bra'tac meant when he told him he was feeling old.

It had nothing to do with the diminishing performance of his body. His age was not very advanced yet, anyway. It had to do with his inability to bring back his teammates -- his family -- home. Dead or alive.

He stepped onto the plateau. Pierce was following closely. He held his hand out to help him up. Griff and Lloyd were halfway up. Only SG2's team leader remained below. It was at this moment that Teal'c felt the familiar tremor under his feet. He tightened his hold on his staff weapon, perusing the plain below for a sign of where the beast would appear.

"Coburn!" he called.

That was enough to propel Griff and Lloyd up the last steps. Coburn rushed up too. Then the ground suddenly exploded on his right. Teal'c shot a preventative blast down the crater, missing the worm's head by an inch. The rattle of submachine guns covered Teal'c's yell of rage as the huge creature hurled itself on the stairs, seemingly oblivious to the bullets tearing through its skin.

Coburn tried scaling the stairs, his hands gripping the steps above him. The worm reared up behind him, mouth wide as it prepared to strike. Pierce dropped onto his stomach and stretched his arms downward, his weapon held out like a pole. Teal'c kept firing his staff weapon. With each impact the stench of burned flesh became stronger. The creature didn't even flinch.

The fragile-looking stairs shook violently under the weight of the worm, whose lower body rested on the first step. Its head raised up above Coburn, covering him with its shadow. Teal'c aimed at the creature's mouth, and fired again. The beast shrieked in pain, its screams reverberating against the cliff. Dead at last, it still hovered above the stairs, its ugly head level with Teal'c's face.

"Grab the gun! Quick!" screamed Pierce.

Coburn stretched his arms to the handle of the P-90. As Pierce pulled him upwards, the beast fell. The steps, still resounding from the wormquake, cracked under the weight of the dead animal. Teal'c could only watch in dismay as the spiralling structure disappeared with a crash.

—

Jack sighed. He couldn't count the days anymore. After an alien had grabbed his wrist to give him a fish, his watch had died, and with it, their only source of light. What were those slugs made of? From then on, he had pushed the aliens away whenever they came. They seemed to have gotten the hint.

Every now and then he prodded Daniel, who had retreated in a world too far from reality to remember to talk. Jack had noticed, though, that his friend didn't work as much as before. He sat still for hours, doing… what? Dozing? Thinking? Night dreaming? It was in times like that that Jack decided to reach for him and bring him back to the dark cave, as nasty a place as it was.

Daniel had been working steadily since their last fish, though. Jack could hear the soft sound of fingers tapping on stone. He could also feel the random gusts of air caused by the latter's sweeping arm movements. He promised himself to stop the linguist when he became too agitated. Then they would talk, about the sun and about the trees. About Carter and Teal'c. No, no, better not go there.

Jack closed his eyes and pressed his back against the wall. He was bored.

"Will you shut up already?"

"Didn't say a thing," he mumbled.

"Oh. I thought…"

"You're hearing voices?"

"No, of course not."

A body shuffled in the dark. Soon Jack felt the pressure of Daniel's shoulder against his. It was good. Comforting. At the same time, he was ashamed to feel like a kid who was afraid of the bogeyman. "What have you come up with?"

"Are you tired?"

A baffled Jack stared at the black space where Daniel was. "A bit. Why do you ask?"

"I'd like to tell you a story. Then we can go to sleep."

There was a tremor in Daniel's voice. Jack couldn't decide if it was due to fear, or fatigue, or something else entirely. It didn't bode well in either case. "Sure. Go for it."

"Once upon a time, in the land of the first people, the queen became ill. She was suffering very much, and her subjects were sad, for they loved her deeply. They sent for the best doctors from every corner of the world. They came, the wisest and the oldest ones, only to shake their heads. Therefore when a stranger came with the promise of a remedy, they acclaimed him and invited him to the queen's castle."

"A fairy tale? Don't you think I'm a bit old for that?" But he hoped Daniel wouldn't stop here.

"The stranger, whose name was Erebus, locked himself up with an older woman and the queen in the royal bedroom for three nights. Every night, a night bird flew to the window to watch. The bird's song was sad, for he was telling tales of betrayal and death, but nobody would listen to him. They hated him because of his odd looks and mannerisms. On the dawn of the fourth day, the bedroom door opened and Erebus and the queen emerged. The older woman had died, but the young queen looked well, and everybody rejoiced. There was a big banquet with music and dancing."

"I like that part."

"But soon the people found a new reason to mourn and cry, for while their queen's beauty hadn't faltered, her spirit had. Where she was once the most loving and caring woman in the world, her heart was now filled with cruelty and selfishness. Where she had once ruled free, happy people, she was now gathered slaves around her. One morning she took a new name. Forever after she was known as Hemera."

"Let me guess… Snakehead?"

"Erebus and Hemera locked the night bird in a cage, so that his song would fill the slaves with despair. The men who tried to revolt were tortured and hanged. The women were forced to nurse Hemera's children in their very homes. Those who refused or were too old were stoned."

The Goa'uld had been their lovely selves on this world as well. Jack grunted. He was not sure he wanted to hear the rest of the story.

"One night an old servant who had cared for Hemera as a baby, and whom Hemera still trusted, stole the key of the night bird's cage. The bird and the old servant gathered thousands of followers. There was a great battle, and many a good life was lost. When he realized that there would be no victory, the night bird led the survivors to deep caves, where they hid from the queen's wrath. Years passed. The refugees became like the night bird, and they lived ever after, finally free."

There was a long silence before Jack dared to break the spell. He whistled. "You did it. You deciphered that stuff."

"Roughly."

"Good job. The tale is crap, though."

"It ends well."

"They fled into these caves! That's what you call a good ending?"

"Have you thought about the alternative?"

"When you put it that way… But what about the bit at the end? How does it go again? They became like the night bird? How?"

"Don't know."

"And you really expect me to go to sleep after telling me something like that?"

Daniel snorted. "I thought you never listened to my translations."

"Well, you were wrong."

"Take first watch, then, if you can't sleep."

Jack grumbled. He felt Daniel sliding down, heard him rolling on his side. Still craving contact, he searched for him for a minute and rested his hand on his friend's arm. "What happened to the Goa'uld, Daniel?" He wasn't expecting an answer.

—

Sam wriggled on the hard stool. She and Janet had been working for hours. She wasn't quite sure what her motivation was. Whatever knowledge she would glean from these chunks of rotten meat, it wouldn't bring the Colonel and Daniel back home. At best she would be able to put a name on what had, probably, killed them. And this name was becoming clearer as hours passed. Goau'ld. Like she needed any extra incentive to hate them.

"Snakehead," she hissed, using the Colonel's expression.

"Yes, Sam, I think so." Janet pushed the microscope back. "Apart from this extra chromosome there," she said, pointing with her laser pen at the kariogram displayed on the wall, "the DNA of this creature is ninety-nine percent identical to a Goau'ld's."

"There's no sign of naqquadah in their blood," she noted. "Either they are direct descendants of the primitive Goau'ld we found on P3X-888, or it's a direct consequence of the mutation."

"I'd lean toward the second explanation. This DNA is closer to what we find in the more recent Goau'ld."

"But what changed them? I didn't record any sign of unusual radiation on P8J-453."

"I don't know."

"It's possible that they played with genetics for some reason…"

"… And messed up."

Sam took a sip of her coffee. It was cold. It they were still alive, and that was doubtful, her lost teammates had run short of coffee by now. Daniel would be insufferable, and Jack would be busy searching around for a substitute to the dark beverage, just so he could get Daniel down to a manageable level.

No. That wasn't true, and she knew it. A caffeine-free Daniel was as sweet as the regular one. Not that Jack would leave a stone unturned in his efforts to procure the delicacy for Daniel.

"You miss them."

Sam looked at Janet, surprised. She'd been turning the cold mug in her hands, staring at the black liquid, forgetting the presence of her friend. "Yes, I miss them. It's just so stupid, you know. Losing them like that. We aren't even sure of what happened to them! Did they drown, or were they devoured? Taken by a Goaul'd?"

"I know."

"I just hate that! We're not even sure whether they're dead or not, I mean, Teal'c didn't find them," she exclaimed in a high-pitched voice. "He didn't find their bodies."

"It's not the first time, Sam."

"No. Of course it's not. But you know what, Janet? I'm not getting used to it! It's not getting any easier."

"I don't think it would ever be easy." Janet put her hand on Sam's arm.

The blonde woman lowered her head. "And what if they are still alive? What if they survived? I know it's not logical, but maybe they're out there. Waiting for us."

"If that is the case, trust them, Sam. They'll find a way back."

Sam shook her head. She grabbed her mug and left the lab for a refill.

—

The language and the culture of the cave dwellers, as Daniel had come to call them, was a curious mixture of Greek and Ancient Egyptian. The wall was covered with myths told in the style of fairy tales. Myths of Osiris, Ernutet, Hephaistos or Demeter, almost unrecognisable under the disguise of "once upon a time". Hemera, the Greek Goddess of Day, daughter of Erebus, God of Night, had been the Goa'uld in charge of this world. Whenever she was referred to it was as a queen, though, not as a deity. The cave dwellers didn't believe in fake gods and for that, Daniel was grateful.

Daniel was studying the texts with renewed ardour. His headache was gone, and even though he was still struggling to decipher the small symbols etched in stone, his brain was working at full speed again. It was a shame, however, that he had to limit himself to the texts that he could read while sitting. His ankle was hurting so much that he couldn't stand any more. The wounds had become infected. It wasn't so bad that he couldn't forget the pain when necessary, though. If he was honest with himself, he really didn't want to dwell on it.

Janet would fix it. Tomorrow, or the day after. For now he had work to do.

Sticky fingers joined Daniel's on the wall. The man froze. He had grown used to the soft breathing, the discreet footsteps, the few hisses. The aliens were always around, coming closer by the hour. Sometimes so close that he could feel their breath on his neck. He had never been touched while reading before.

His hand was slowly pulled to the right, onto a word he had already encountered.

"That's… that's touch!"

"What's happening? Daniel!"

"One of them has shown me a word!"

He was pulled again, not as gently this time. Jack's grip on his ankle tightened. "Let me go. I think he is trying to communicate. He is not threatening. He isn't hurting me. Jack, I really think we should…"

He knew Jack well enough to interpret the internal struggle he was going through. His answer was a mark of trust that didn't go unnoticed. "Don't allow more than one near you. And don't let him lead you too far."

"I'll be careful, Jack."

The linguist was drawn to another part of the room, out of Jack's reach. His hand had been taken off the wall, and Daniel could hear his guide brushing up the inscriptions with his free hand, looking for something. Finally the sticky fingers led him downwards, so much that he had to kneel down, until once again his hand was in contact with a word. "… me… touch me. Jack, he wants me to touch him!"

"I don't like that, Danny. You know what Mister Jelly's skin did to our watches. And to us."

Both men had gotten rid of their useless watches and of Jack's crumbling GDO, throwing them off as far as possible in the lake. The alien substance seemed to destroy electronic systems, and had probably caused the nausea and the fever Daniel and Jack had experienced. There was no proof of that, however. "We only think that it's because of their skin. It might be the water, the fish. It could be anything!"

"Yeah right."

"Jack, that might be our only chance to get out of here."

"Dammit! Okay, make your peaceful explorer speech and let's be done with it!"

Daniel nodded, oblivious to the fact that Jack couldn't see him. The cave dweller was becoming agitated, pressing the man's hand harder. He was hissing, too, and his companions were definitely gathering around them.

"Let's go," whispered Daniel to himself.

He started by squeezing the cave dweller's fingers, praying that it wouldn't be taken as a sign of aggression. The hissing stopped. Relieved, Daniel closed his eyes. Tracing up the other's arm, which he noted was just slightly slimmer than his, he stopped at the shoulder. Beneath the thin layer of jelly, the skin didn't feel all that different than a human's.

"They have strong muscles," he noticed.

"I could have told you that," grumbled Jack. "What's he doing now?"

"Nothing."

"You still OK?"

"Uh huh." Daniel went on, inspecting the alien's chest. He would keep the head for later. That would probably be the tricky part. Again, he realized that it felt very much like a human's chest – definitely not one of the couch potato variety, though. "There are no breasts. I think it's a male."

"Disappointed?"

Daniel chuckled. His fingers were playing around the neck of the other man. There was a thin chain there that he hadn't detected at first because of the jelly. And… yes… that was a pendant. The flat, metallic object was of a familiar design. A circle bordered by small curved triangles. It was way out of place in this cave. "Oh, that's why they were fascinated by your dog tags," he exclaimed.

"You're being a bit cryptic there."

"Don't you remember? You were saying they couldn't keep their hands off your tags, when we arrived. He wears a pendant. It represents a sun, I think. Or something."

"A sun? Couldn't they wear flashing earrings instead?"

Daniel sighed. "Hemera. She's the goddess of the day."

The alien had just put a hand on his chest. His fingers were moving quickly, insistently searching Daniel's torso for his dog tags. On finding them, he started hissing, alternating between touching Daniel's face and pulling softly on the tags.

The others were coming, too. Half-a-dozen tentative hands found their way to the human's back and shoulders, leaving stinging jelly on their path. Daniel gulped, and started exploring the face of the cave dweller, aware that he would receive the same treatment in return.

—

Jack asked a few questions, but his friend was not answering anymore, except for the odd "hmm" or "uh-huh". After what seemed to Jack like an eternity, he heard lots of rustling and hushing. Creatures were moving around him, not daring to touch him. A heavy object entered the water. "Daniel?"

"I'm fine. Getting rid of the slime."

Leaning against the wall, Jack waited for his teammate to come back to him.

"Jack?"

"I'm here. Sit near me. Yes, that's it." Shoulders touched. They were in contact again. "So?"

"Well, they are definitely humanoid. Most of them seem to be about our size. I also met Teal'c's bigger brother, I think."

"Neatto."

"Oh, and the females have breasts."

"You filthy bastard! And you didn't call me?"

"Well, Jack, it doesn't feel that nice, if it's any consolation. And I was just checking on the necklaces."

"Right. The necklaces."

"I'm serious. They all wear one. They are made of metal. Some are quite large, and they come in all sorts of shapes. It might be a sign of social wealth, or…"

Jack sighed. Daniel was lapsing into lecture mode, which would lower Jack's role to one of listener. He needed more than that, here in the dark. So he cut him off, and asked: "Just how many of them did you touch, exactly?"

"Oh, uh…"

Jack turned towards the younger man, noticing for the first time that he was shaking a bit. "Are you feeling OK?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Well, as I said, they probably look a lot like us. They may even have been human, once upon a time. The only notable difference is…"

"… their lovely skin."

"That as well. I wasn't thinking of that, actually. They don't seem to have eyes."

"What?"

"No eyes, not even sockets. The first guy was completely fascinated by mine."

"He didn't put his slimy fingers in your eyes, did he?"

"Of course not! What do you think eyelids are for, Jack?"

He imagined what a face would look like without eyes, and without sockets. It was gross. He imagined what Daniel's face would be like if… He muttered a curse under his breath. "That's why they don't have flashlights, then. Anything else?"

"They are completely naked, but for the necklaces."

"We fit in nicely."

"Yeah, that we do. Then again, maybe not, 'cause we have hair and as far as I can tell they seem to be completely bald. They have "shown" me, for lack of a better word, a good number of artefacts. Bowls, mostly. And also what I think are dolls. I don't know if they made them themselves or if they are remainders of their former civilization, before they decided to bury themselves down here."

"Did you keep the bowls? I'm fed up with lapping water."

At Jack's great satisfaction, Daniel shoved one into his hands. "Atta boy! Any weapons?"

"Not that I know of. Maybe they just didn't let me touch any." He added: "I bumped one or two guys there. They may think I'm a bit clumsy."

Daniel was the most careful person ever. He had to be, what with all his very breakable artefacts. But Jack couldn't let this opportunity pass. He burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. They know you well already, that's all."

"Come on, be serious for a moment!"

"Serious. Yes. So, uh, I suppose all their hissing and yawning is a language? They did that a lot while you were doing… stuff with them."

"No. Maybe a little. I think they mainly use tactile codes to exchange information. They were brushing me and pinching me a lot. The noises might just be secondary signs of communication. Like when you're grabbing my wrist a bit too hard because you're worried."

Jack released his grip. "I was not doing that."

"Anyway… I still don't know how to talk with them."

"You could use the wall? Guide them to the words you need?"

"It would take too long. I suppose this guy knew this wall much better than I do, and it felt hard enough for him to find just two words!"

Jack heard the hint of nervous exhaustion in Daniel's voice. He couldn't start to imagine how hard it had been for the archaeologist to touch, and undoubtedly be touched by, the slimy figures. How hard had it been to let them invade his personal space, on the basis that this was his only way to communicate with them?

Jack grabbed Daniel by the shoulders to lay him down. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll find a way."

"I don't know."

"I do. Now if you go to sleep I'll wake you up next time they slap a fish in my face."

Jack waited for Daniel's soft laughter to die. He grabbed the bowls and went to fetch some water. Daniel would be thirsty when he woke.

—

Daniel flicked his chest with the back of his hand. The bugs were eating him alive, and when he removed one from his arm, two found their way to his leg. It burned, it itched. Creepy crawlies everywhere, on the cot, in his hair, on his belly. One of the centipede-like creatures had just found the worm bites and had entered his ankle. Daniel could feel it wriggling under his skin. Inside him. This was an interesting new development.

He couldn't remember when it had started. He had fallen asleep soon after his meeting with the cave dwellers, and had only vague memories of what had happened afterwards. Jack's soft snores, a foreign hand on his mouth, cold liquid poured on his wounds. It felt like a dream.

The bugs felt real.

"What are you doing, Daniel?"

Finally! Daniel had believed Jack would never wake up. "Bugs."

"Bugs? On you?" Someone moved fast on the cot, knees rasping against the leathery texture. "Where are they?"

"Don't touch me! They might get onto you." Daniel was scratching. He needed to tear his skin open, to force the centipedes out. So many of them had found access into his body now. He could feel the lumps moving under his muscles, on his bones.

It took him a while to register the touch of fingers on his torso. They were moving around, looking for the bugs, who dodged them so easily that it would have been laughable, if his body wasn't serving as a playground.

"There's nothing there. Nothing at all."

Daniel guffawed. "They are smart. Much smarter than you."

"You've got a fever."

"Eency weency spider climbed the water spout," he recited in a sing-song voice.

Jack lifted him to a sitting position. "Have some water."

"Down came the rain and washed the spider out." He was thirsty. When Jack pressed the bowl against his lips, he stopped singing to swallow the tepid water.

"Daniel, stop that!"

"Out came the sun and dried up all the rain." He wished his nails were longer and stronger to tear through his skin. He wished Jack could take the spiders -- no, they were centipedes -- out.

"There's nothing, ya hear me? Nothing! For cryin' out loud, Danny, snap out of it!"

"Now eency weency spider went up the spout again."

"Let's wash them away, okay? Stand up!"

Daniel laughed. The solution was so easy. He should have found it without Jack's help. The eency weency centipedes would swim away, out of his entrails to the bowels of this earth. He let Jack drag him to the lake, and immersed himself in the water.

—

Jack walked Daniel back to the cot. The good news was that he wasn't limping anymore. The bad news… Well, there was a lot of that. It started with the darkness, and ended with Daniel going nuts.

They sat on the border of the leathery board, Jack keeping his arm wrapped around Daniel's back. He didn't dare to let him go yet. "No more bugs?" he asked. He cringed at the sound of his own voice. It was shaky and weak.

"No more. I'm sorry. They were never there, were they?"

"No. It was just a bad dream."

"It felt real. It felt so real! What if it was some of Machello's bugs? You wouldn't be able to…"

"Calm down, Daniel."

"No! I don't want to! I'm running a fever, all right? Jack, you've got to believe me, I don't want to go back there!"

"Go back where?" Jack drew Daniel closer, hoping he wouldn't pull away from the comfort they both needed. Daniel twitched but didn't try to escape. Jack felt reassured by the solidity of his friend's body, in default of his sanity. "It was just a dream," he repeated.

"…The white cell. I'm not crazy. Tell them I'm not crazy, please, Jack!"

"I know, Danny. It's fine. You're not going anywhere." Jack moved his hand to his friend's nape and started rubbing it slowly. Encouraged by Daniel's lack of reaction, he settled himself behind him to massage his shoulders.

"I remember something, I think. It's not the first time you've done that," Daniel whispered.

"Don't remind me." It had happened only once, when Daniel was fighting his addiction to the sarcophagus. His muscles had been tense to the verge of tearing, like now, but his skin hadn't felt half as hot. No wonder he was shivering. "You're cold?"

"Freezing."

"That's because of your fever. And you're wet."

Jack urged Daniel to lie on his stomach. He sat at his side and continued the massage. Daniel tensed more, beyond what Jack had thought possible. "Relax. I'm not going to hurt you."

Jack felt him nodding. Laying both hands flat on his spine, he moved them in long strokes from the base of his neck to the small of his back, and up again.

"Where did you learn that?"

"Sara. She suffered from back pain while she was pregnant." Later he had used those techniques on Charlie, mostly when he was sick. After he'd grown too old to admit he needed cuddles, he sometimes came to his father to demand a massage, claiming that he had hurt his shoulders while playing football. Jack wasn't taken in by it, but he never denied his son the moments of intimacy.

Hands on Daniel's waist, Jack grasped and squeezed the overheated skin, moving up to the shoulders. His movements were firmer than at the beginning. He hadn't lost his touch. Daniel was loosening up.

"Feels good."

"If I ever hear a word about that at the SGC, I'll rip your head off."

Daniel chuckled. "Why?"

"As if it's not obvious? I have a reputation to protect."

"No. Why are you doing it?"

_'Well, that's the million dollar question,'_ he thought, squeezing a bit too hard. Jack felt helpless, and he hated it. He often relied on his team for solving particular problems -- problems that only Carter or Daniel had the skills to tackle, and that was fine. This time, however, he was relying on a sick man. A sick, naked, effectively blind man with a chewed foot.

Jack couldn't forget the crap food, or the smell of vomit and excrement growing stronger by the hour… Add a few broken bones and it would be just like Iraq. Lovely place, that.

"Call it moral support," he answered. For Daniel or for himself? He didn't know. He couldn't see his companion, and that hurt more than the rest. Touching was the next best thing, even if it brought back memories he would better not deal with at the moment.

Jack moved his right hand to the trapezius muscle, under the shoulder blade. He pressed deeply in the taut flesh, drawing circular patterns with his thumb. That felt relaxing, even to him. Daniel's breathing was regular and slow. He would soon fall asleep.

"If there's word that I let you to do that to me, I'll rip your head off. Then I'll eat it."

"Sounds like a plan." Jack pressed his thumbs down along the spine. Daniel's muscles contracted. "Daniel?"

Daniel rolled on his back. "I think I've just found a way to communicate with the cave dwellers." His voice was quiet, bearing none of his usual excitement when he was about to discover a new culture.

"Why do I feel I'm not going to like it?"

—

He had been practicing with Jack for what seemed like hours. They had tried almost every body part. Daniel's chest was not sensitive enough. His bloated stomach was a no go. Grazing it was painful. When Jack, using his index finger, had etched "space monkey" in his palm, it had tickled so much that he'd lost himself in laughter. The bridge of the nose was the best place of all. He just hoped the cave dweller would be careful enough not to poke his eyes.

Finding his interlocutor again had been the easiest part.

'You', Daniel wrote, slowly, on the alien's forehead.

Nothing happened for a minute or two and then Daniel felt a slimy finger on his own forehead, tracing signs. It took all his attention to keep track of what the alien was doing, but the words, albeit reversed, were simple, and oddly familiar.

'You unlike us'

"Jack, it works! He answered! My god, this is fantastic!"

"Well, what did he say?"

"Huh… That we were different."

"Indeed," said Jack in his best Teal'c impersonation.

Daniel chuckled.

'Read me?' the alien asked.

'Yes'

'Is Hedlir me.'

"Hedlir… That's his name. He is Hedlir! It's a name. The one from the cave? It just means cave dweller, I think."

"No shit? Geez, keep it simple and stupid! I like this guy."

'Is Hedlir you', wrote Daniel, poking his tongue out at Jack. Darkness had its good points.

'Is you?'

"Is you… Jack, he is asking my name. What can I say?"

"Oh, I don't know. Lemme think. Try Daniel Jackson. Might be a good start."

"I can't spell that."

"Come on, I'm sure you can come up with something. Space Monkey?"

Daniel shrugged, while the alien repeated his question. "Jack…"

"Ok, no Space Monkey then. Plant Boy? Grasshopper?"

"No, I don't know that. Give me a word I can write!"

"Nightbird. What with you working until the wee hours and all."

"That's kinda sweet."

Jack snorted. "I'm getting sappy in my old age."

"This will be repeated, inflated and distorted." Daniel thought about the name. The night bird's tale was the first one he had deciphered. It fitted, in a way. He hoped he wasn't going to pick up the name of a religious figure. As far as he could tell, the narration was childish, so there was a good chance he'd end up being a Hansel look-alike. "All right. Nightbird sounds good."

So night bird he wrote, and Nightbird he became.

'Is Nightbird you', wrote Hedlir. 'Is other?'

Jack. That wasn't hard. Daniel knew a name that would fit perfectly, though he would never, ever admit it to his friend. 'Is Leader other.'

More aliens had come. Their touch was so light that he hadn't noticed until now, focused on trying to understand Hedlir. He shivered as a trail of slime ran down his shoulder. It stung. He bit his lip and continued. 'Leader and Nightbird. Peace.'

'Peace,' was the answer.

'Is here?'

'Skoukla.'

"Skoukla… Jack, we are safe here! It's Skoukla!"

"I'm delighted."

"Skoukla exists on Earth. It's a cave that was already inhabited in prehistoric times! Kardamylians consider Skoukla as a sacred asylum, even more so since the Massacre of Chios. When was that again? Early in the nineteenth century, if my memory serves me right. That's too late for gate travel. They must've been taken away earlier than that."

"Wait, wait, wait. Cardamonians? Massacre of Kiosk?"

"Chios is a Greek island. Kardamyla is a maritime town north of it. Pirates attacked it on a regular basis, and when that happened, people sought refuge in Skoukla. Look, our cave dwellers might be the descendants of the first Kardamylians!"

"Fascinating. Really. Now, about the way out?"

"Um… OK." Daniel carefully pressed his finger onto Hedlir's forehead. He choose the shortest words he knew, ruling out proper grammar for the sake of rapidity, and spelled them out in the layer of jelly that covered the alien's skin.

'Is out?'

He had experienced lots of weird things since he had gone through the 'gate for the first time. He had met cultures that were so different that it boggled the mind. It was all too easy to scare people away. Show most Tau'ri expatriates a Jaffa, even as nice a Jaffa as Teal'c was, and you were sure to get a reaction. They could be afraid of anything, ranging from weapons to MREs. Which, now that Daniel thought about it, proved that aliens had a good share of common sense.

But usually what Daniel said was not the object of the aliens' fear.

"Bad choice of words," muttered Daniel, as all the cave dwellers fled into the bowels of Skoukla.


	4. Part 4

**Stay in Touch, by Tefnut  
Part 4**

Jack was bored.

Daniel was deep in conversation with his walking pot of slime. Again. So Jack was playing Bowl & Pebbles. The material was easy enough to get. One bowl, carved out of a worm's hide, amiably lent by their jelly-hosts. Pebbles of various shapes and sizes, maybe of various colours, found in the nearby lake. The rules were simple. Put the bowl somewhere in the room, not too far away. Throw the pebbles in its general direction, praying that one or two would land in it. Add a virtual blindfold for good measure, and there was your game of Bowl & Pebbles, trademark of the O'Neill and Jackson Company.

Jack was getting better at Bowl & Pebbles. He would beat Daniel silly if the kid ever found the time to play with him again.

Daniel was not bored anymore but he had been too, early on. They had tried to chat, joke and argue. It had seemed good enough, until they had realized that they always ended up talking about Carter and Teal'c. Trouble was, Carter and Teal'c were forbidden subjects. "They are fine," Jack had said, "and if they're not there's nothing we can do about it." Daniel had agreed. They had stopped talking.

Wrestling had been initiated by Jack. After all, they both needed a physical activity of some sort to stay in a shape that wouldn't have Fraiser going ballistic on them. It also allowed Jack to check on Daniel's health without being too obvious. The first time a bunch of surprised cave dwellers had hissed their worries at their two guests, thinking they were trying to kill each other. Daniel's diplomatic skills had taken care of this little problem. The linguist was actually organizing a wrestling competition between the Jelly-men, an activity where Teal'c's bigger brother would shine. Jell-o wrestling, he called it. The man was cracked.

Fishing barehanded had come later, a direct consequence of Daniel's frequent dives. It was his idea, and a fine one at that, if awfully tricky. After many unsuccessful tries, they had managed to grab two fishes each, the best they had eaten in a long time. They had also ended butt in the water too often to count. Jack couldn't go fishing alone. He tended to lose his bearings in open spaces.

The dark was slowly getting to him. Sure, he was able to walk around the room unaided. Most of the time, he knew exactly where Daniel was. For cryin' out loud, he even knew where Hedlir was! But still, the permanent blackness felt oppressive.

So Jack was playing Bowl & Pebbles, and he was getting good at it.

—

"Any progress?"

"No." Daniel held the fish he had just cleaned out to Jack. When he wouldn't take it, Daniel shoved the food onto his friend's lap, his patience exhausted.

"Hey!"

"Sushi time, Jack."

"Breakfast sushi, lunch time sushi or dinner sushi?"

"I can't remember." Daniel sat against the wall. "You know, I never thought I would say this, but I miss the MREs."

"So do I, Danny, so do I. Yummy. Can you picture that? Macaroni with chili…"

Daniel choked on a mouthful of fish, laughing. "Freeze-dried chicken and peanut butter…"

"Tomato soup…"

"… with marshmallows!" Daniel closed his eyes. He could almost smell the smoke from the camp fire, hear his marshmallow sizzle when he pushed it too close to the flames, watch as its colour changed from white to brown while he slowly turned the pointy stick.

Jack's laughter had died already, but his eyes were smiling. He was sitting at the opposite side of the fire, next to Teal'c. Daniel knew without looking that Sam was somewhere behind him, pouring herself a cup of coffee. "Sam, I'll have one as well, if you don't mind."

"Sure." She appeared at his side, holding two steaming mugs.

"Daniel?" Jack wasn't smiling anymore. If anything, he looked worried, for some reason Daniel couldn't fathom.

"It's fine, Jack. It's only my second cup tonight."

"Daniel, this is not funny."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow. He had grabbed a stick and was trying to roast three marshmallows at once. "Way to go, Teal'c," said Daniel, thumbs up.

"Daniel!"

"What now?" he snapped.

All of a sudden Jack was sitting in front of him, shaking him like there was no tomorrow. Where Sam and Teal'c had gone, he had no idea. Daniel was in awe. His friend's butt was in the middle of the flames. Surely it must be a bit painful? A marshmallow was melting down Jack's sleeve. Daniel giggled.

It was too darn hot here.

"Answer me, Daniel. Where are we?"

Too. Darn. Hot.

Someone had extinguished the fire. Probably Jack. It was stupid to sit in it in the first place. Their only source of light had died and it was his fault. How would they find their way to the Stargate if they couldn't see? As the leader of the team, he shouldn't forget those practical details, especially when they were stranded.

In a cave. "Skoukla?"

"Skoukla. That's it. You're back with me?"

"Oh god, Jack…" Daniel slid on his side, trembling. "I saw Sam and Teal'c. I saw them."

"No, you didn't."

"Maybe, maybe I didn't." Daniel was only sure of one thing. By kneading his arm, Jack was slowly grounding him to reality. "I'm back. I'm fine, Jack."

"You scared the hell out of me."

He could still smell the marshmallows.

—

Hedlir liked Nightbird.

Even as a little boy, the cave dweller had always been fascinated by the walls. From the day his grandfather had taught him how to read, he had known he wouldn't become a worm hunter or a dam technician like most of the others.

So he had become an historian and a storyteller, translating the walls and the letters from the past to the flesh and feelings of the present. And when something really important happened -- like when the Queen had killed a worm single-handedly, an act of heroism that had cost her a leg -- he carved it on a wall, with the help of a sculptor who could also read a little. He wrote for his own pleasure, because he knew that his skill would soon become useless.

Less and less people knew the art of the letters since their skin had developed so much than they barely needed to communicate any other way. Hedlir had to admit that the present way was much more efficient. When he entered a room all the sensors in his skin attuned to the Others', capturing thoughts, and moods, and stories.

But now two outsiders had come, and their skin was primitive and rough. They had refused contact to start with, and Hedlir had understood they were afraid. How wouldn't they be?

He had observed them, his skin gathering information that travelled through the movement of air, through the heat and smell of their bodies. They touched each other, but not on the same level as his own people. They produced sounds, and that was probably their main way of exchanging information. Hedlir couldn't make much out of it, though.

He was dozing when the childlike being had started looking at the wall. Swirling molecules of excitement had awaken Hedlir. He had known then that that was his chance.

He had waited until the sounds had grown stronger and faster, until the molecules of fear had become too weak to be relevant, until his own curiosity couldn't hold him back any longer. And he had met Nightbird.

—

Convincing Jack to let him go after his little bout of hallucination had been tricky. Daniel didn't want to piss him off by staying away for too long. Skoukla was big. Hedlir was a talented guide, and he was fanatical about his city. Like many passionate people, he didn't know when to stop. Daniel, for once, was on the wrong side of this particular mirror. Hedlir kept urging him forward, leading him through flights of stairs, corridors and houses, when he really wanted to go back to his own small dark room.

They set foot on yet another plaza. The layout of the city was rather simple. A number of artificial islands were scattered on the lake. Perfectly circular, they were linked to each others by narrow bridges. The gigantic cavern in which the city was built had once been completely filled with water, and still would be if not for the action of powerful pumps that poured the overflow into dikes. Daniel had visited the main dam, a noisy, sturdy construction. The originality of the complex was that most dikes were located above the cave. The water could flow upwards.

"Sam would have a blast here," Daniel said to no one in particular, as he walked to another technological marvel. He had already met this particular contraption. They could be found on every island. The small, smooth domes were Skoukla's answer to central heating. Hedlir hadn't quite managed to explain to the visitor how they extracted water, warmed it, and released it into the air. As impressed as he was by the sheer complexity of the radiators, Daniel was disappointed. Their surface was not warm enough to cook a fish.

'When did your ancestors build all of this?' asked Daniel.

'After the exodus, of course. It took many generations to achieve this.'

'But the cave was flooded, right? Where did they live meanwhile?'

'In other caves. There was no comfort, and many died, but some choose to remain there. You are one of their descendants. One of the Lost.'

Daniel's mouth fell open. 'No, I'm not. I'm not from the caves.'

Hedlir hushed him by capturing his finger. 'Follow me. There is more to touch.'

Daniel rolled his eyes as he was led to a bulky tower. It was one of the many pillars of Skoukla. Without them, unsupported by water, the ceiling of the cavern would have collapsed long ago.

Daniel was coping well with the darkness, much better than Jack, who needed so much time to walk from the cot to the lake and back. Still, the long guided tour was stretching his tactile abilities to its limits. He missed the third step of the spiral stairs that encircled the building, only to be caught by the man he referred to as Teal'c's bigger brother.

"Thank you," he said. He stopped Hedlir, and asked: 'Who is Other behind me? I want to thank him for saving me.'

'He feels your gratitude. He is called Iskur.'

The Strong One. That was pretty accurate. 'He is often with us.'

'Yes. He is the one you hurt.' Hedlir paused, his finger still resting on the bridge of Daniel's nose. 'He feels you are sorry, so don't feel bad about it. He is curious about you and Leader.'

Daniel gasped. He wasn't quite expecting that. He climbed a few steps before stopping Hedlir again. 'Iskur is a very forgiving person.'

'We attacked you first,' wrote Hedlir. 'We understand that you were only defending yourself. We had to get you into Skoukla, or you would have died. You didn't understand us, so we forced you here.'

'We would have died?'

'You would. You didn't exactly choose the best time to visit the higher dikes. Now come with me. Here is my home.'

Hedlir nudged Daniel into a room cut in the tower. Daniel could sense the presence of two other persons. Their breathing indicated that one was standing somewhere on his left, while the other one was sitting on the ground to his right. He walked to the first person. Upon touching her face he realized she was female. Her pendant, a triangle whose edges had been softened, felt pretty.

'Who is she?'

'My wife,' explained Hedlir.

A few careful steps led him to the second person. He sat cross-legged in front of the stranger. Hedlir caught his hand and placed it on two chains, before guiding it to the pendants. Daniel recognized them as copies of Hedlir's and his wife's.

'Your child?' Daniel asked for confirmation.

'Yes.'

The little girl couldn't be more than three, assuming these children grew at the same rate as human ones. Her skin didn't feel as squishy as her parents'. If the aliens' layer of jelly was indeed their main medium of communication, then she was lost in this world as much as he was.

Daniel turned towards Hedlir. 'Her skin is different.'

'She is still very young.'

The child was touching his face. She giggled when she brushed Daniel's raspy cheek.The crystal laughter was a refreshing sound.

She was small and helpless. That Hedlir let him, a clumsy creature, go anywhere near her was the most beautiful mark of trust Daniel could have imagined.

—

Teal'c leaned over the aquarium and dropped a little pinch of food into the clear water. The fish eagerly converged to the top, their fins jiggling. Their colours, from the purest gold to scintillating blue, were amazing, as was the variety of their shapes. Some were sturdy, other frail, all were fascinating. But all Teal'c could see was the turmoil that followed their wake.

The Jaffa, former Prime of Apophis, who had been a warrior for almost as long as a human lifespan, backed off, scared by a dozen tropical fish.

"Teal'c? Is something wrong with the fish?"

"The fish are well, Major Carter. I, however, am feeling unwell."

The memory was too recent. The image of tumultuous water was something he could do without. Hands holding his stomach, he shambled to Daniel Jackson's sofa.

Major Carter sat at his side and took his hand. "Do you want me to call Janet?"

"That will not be necessary. I am not sick. I am unwell."

—

"They are too close," whispered Jack. "Can you tell jelly-boy that I find them just a tad too familiar?"

'Touch no Leader', wrote Daniel on Hedlir.

'Why?'

'Sick'

No, not sick. Sickness. Or, even better: "creating sickness". Too bad he couldn't remember how to spell these words. It was too late anyway. Hedlir had passed on the information to the others through his skin. Daniel could almost feel the tremor as the cave dwellers moved once more. And slowly other hands came, squeezing his left arm. More hands on his shoulders, on his back, on his neck. Hands that loomed towards Jack, a moment before.

"Thanks, Daniel."

"You're welcome."

Hedlir was tracing new words on the archaeologist's forehead. 'I am sorry for Leader. You're not sick?'

"Damn. There's a slight misunderstanding here."

"What?"

"Nothing important."

"Daniel…"

The linguist closed his eyes. He couldn't mistake this tone. Jack was worried. "I can handle this."

Hedlir reiterated his question. 'You're not sick, are you?'

'No, I'm fine.'

"Daniel, are they still on you?"

Okay. Make that worried _and_ pissed. Daniel winced. "Yes."

"Push them away."

"No! I need to communicate with them. They'll show us the way out."

"They make you sick."

"Never mind."

"Have a break, at least. And that's an order."

—

Daniel often managed to slide out of Jack's protective clutch while he slept. He never went far, and didn't need to. Hedlir was always waiting. Hedlir, and Others behind, who kept touching every bit of their conversation.

Those times when Jack slept, he and Hedlir talked about anything they could think of. Tales of kings and queens, of hunts and feasts, of simple men who shared a bond with plants. They laughed a lot, too.

Those times when Jack slept, Hedlir was always the one to put an end to their conversation. Then Daniel knew that Jack would wake up soon. Silently, he entered the water and washed before sneaking back to his companion. He put Jack's hand back on his knee, on his wrist or on his neck, back wherever it was before. And he waited, peering into the blackness in the hope of catching a glimpse of his new friend, a glimpse that would not be an hallucination.

Daniel suspected that Jack knew.

—

"Crap. This kind of teamwork is crap."

"What?"

"One of us has to chat with those guys," Jack started .

"… And one of us has to keep sane."

O'Neill heard his friend walk out of the water. Funny how it had become easy to know where Daniel was. He could pick Daniel's breathing out from among the hundreds of other creatures… people… without a problem. "You're clean?"

"Yup, I think so."

"Come closer, then." Jack waited for his friend to sit down beside him. "What did you learn this time?"

"You really want to know?"

"Let me guess. History?"

"Yes."

"I don't care about history if it doesn't help us out of here!"

"I'm trying, you know. But every time I say we want out, the others just grab me by the shoulders and throw me in the water!"

Jack frowned. "Are we prisoners?"

"I don't know. Do you think so? Hedlir told me they just wanted to help us. I've never really asked."

"Well, ask, then!"

Daniel shifted, and Jack knew he was hugging his knees. "I'm sure if I could talk with Hedlir alone, he would understand. But the others never leave us."

"But how do they understand you? I thought only Hedlir could read."

"Through their skin, and the air. They are linked to each other, it's virtually telepathy. I'm sure Sam could explain this."

As Daniel was speaking, something unexpected happened. Daniel slapped Jack. Once. Hard.

"Ow!"

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not a punching bag, you know."

"I'm sorry, I said. I didn't do it on purpose!" He hit Jack a second time, on the shoulder. "Sorry. I can't control it. Well, I can, but not all the time. I mean, it's exhausting. But it's nothing important."

"Swell." Jack grabbed Daniel's wrist. He felt for his pulse and was only mildly surprised to note that it was racing.

"As long as I'm okay while Hedlir is around…"

"Oh, so you don't mind if I end up with a black eye and bruises everywhere, as long as the slug is fine?"

"If you didn't insist on sticking to me like glue, that wouldn't happen!"

Jack counted to three. The anger made it hard to keep in mind that Daniel was not really himself. His mind was affected by the aliens' poisonous skin as much as his body was. Daniel grew weaker by the hour. Jack admired his stubborn persistence. He kept going, no matter what.

Time and again he would find Hedlir. Get poisoned, then throw up. Rinse, and repeat the process as soon as possible.

Daniel still believed his method would get them somewhere. Somewhere on the other side of the Stargate, preferably. Jack was not so sure, but Daniel had proved him wrong more than once. He unclenched his fists and placed his hands on Daniel's shoulders. "It's getting worse."

"I know. I'll be fine."

"That's enough." He shook his finger in front of Daniel's nose. "And before you complain, I just want you to take a break. When you start feeling better, we'll see what we do. We may try to find a way out on our own."

"I've visited the place, Jack. I've searched the whole lake for a tunnel. I didn't feel an exit."

"Ta ta ta! Newsflash, Daniel. We've already had this conversation." Plan B had a couple of weaknesses, Jack was well aware of it. It still was a possibility, and he wouldn't allow Daniel to scratch it out so easily. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, I just want you to have a break."

"Until I feel a bit better, right? OK. I'll have to tell Hedlir, though."

Jack tapped Daniel on the arm. "Say goodbye on my behalf, Nightbird."

—

SG2 stepped on the ramp, pushing the worn-out MALP down.

"Major," stated Hammond.

"The mission went smoothly, Sir," Coburn replied.

Hammond nodded and dismissed the team. Smoothly. He could tell from the men's exhausted look that this wasn't the most accurate term to describe their short trip on P8J-453. The MALP had been buried in the mud for nearly three weeks. It couldn't have been fun to cart it back to the gate in dismal weather.

The General climbed heavily back to his office. He sat at his desk, and pushed away the pile of paperwork he should have gone through the day before. He picked up the black phone. He dialled a number without having to check his address book.

"Ms. O'Neill? General Hammond."

"General?" He closed his eyes. Her panicked tone told him that she had already guessed what this call was about.

"I am sorry, Ma'am. Jonathan O'Neill… Jack is missing, Ma'am."

—

Hedlir settled down in front of Nightbird, his muscles tense with anticipation and fear. He had observed the two outsiders for hours, forgetting to sleep and eat. He had grown used to their breathing, to their smell, to the sounds they made. He never touched Leader, but he kept a feel on him. He kept a feel when Leader locked Nightbird into his grip, when he helped him out of the water, when he wrestled with him on the floor.

Hedlir straightened, blocking his emotions inside his body. He was a wall. He had to be. Already the other cave-dwellers were gathering around him, eager to learn more about the aliens. They were always here, taking part, touching him or sitting close by. It was enough to gather all sorts of information. They couldn't read Nightbird, but they certainly could feel him. He was no wall to raw emotions.

Hedlir had to be the wall for both.

'Is fine Leader.'

A soft sound came from Nightbird. 'Is fine Leader,' he confirmed.

Of course he was. Hedlir held his breath, forcing his thoughts inside, beneath the layer of skin that would give them away. Questioning fingers poked at his side. They didn't understand his silence, and they wanted to know. But Hedlir couldn't tell them, not yet. He tensed, struggling to stay a wall for a bit longer. 'Is fault mine. Sorry.'

'No. Fine.'

'Is fine not you. Sorry.' He had lapsed back into what he thought as baby talk. There was too much going on at the same time for him to handle grammar properly.

With great care, Hedlir's hand was grabbed and put away from the other man's forehead. Nightbird's movements were slow, and Hedlir knew that he was fighting to keep control of his body. That much was obvious even to the Others. They thought that the aliens' clumsiness was a normal occurrence because they felt so primitive. But they didn't know that Leader's hands were not shaky. Leader was not sick.

Hedlir knew better.

So that was it. That was the end of their dialogs. If Hedlir kept on reading Nightbird it would probably kill him. He couldn't accept that, even if the Others were too curious to care.

Suddenly Nightbird hugged him.

_"No, don't! The wall. You're breaking the wall."_

Ah. Stupid. He wouldn't be able to understand that, would he? They could only communicate with the language of the forehead. His skin was so archaic. Hedlir winced, trying to escape Nightbird's strong grip. The wall was so thin now. But no! Wait! Nightbird… What was he trying to tell? No, not so primitive finally. By Hemera, how was it possible? Oh, he had to make this wall stronger, he didn't want the Others to know. Hedlir passed his arms behind the man's back, completing the embrace. The wall. They were a wall.

_"I'm fine. I'll be fine."_

_"Why are you so sick?"_

_"It's your skin. But it doesn't matter. It's not your fault."_

_"How can it not matter? How can it not be my fault?"_

_"It's nobody's fault. Don't worry. Leader won't let me down. "_

_"I don't want this to be true! I'm hurting you. We can't go on reading each other."_

_"Yes we can. Lots of questions. Things to share. I'll rest and I'll come back."_

_"I'm killing you."_

_"No you're not. I'm very hard to kill. Leader says so."_

There was another meaning here, a fondness Hedlir could feel. The wall cracked in a smile.

Nightbird broke the embrace to crawl in the water.

—

Jack hugged the wall to the lake. He sat, feet in the water. "You're okay there?"

"I'm not feeling too well."

Aiming in the general direction of his friend's voice, Jack held out his hand. Daniel immediately seized it to haul himself up. "Not too well in what way?" Jack asked as a grunting Daniel huddled against him.

"My legs feel weak."

"Your ankle?"

"The ankle? There's nothing wrong with it. Jack, I feel dizzy."

Daniel's breathing was shallow. Jack put his hand on his friend's neck, only to find that his head was weirdly twisted backwards. Daniel was quivering. He grunted again when Jack settled himself behind him to support him. "I'm here. Don't worry."

He was startled by the sudden spasm that seized Daniel's body. Jack laid him on his side and locked his head between his hands, all the while trying to avoid being hit by his jerking limbs. The smell of urine informed him that Daniel had lost the control of his bladder.

It didn't last long. Daniel stopped twitching as abruptly as he had started. Jack cleaned the unconscious man before carrying him back to the cot. Then he cradled him in his arms, waiting.

—

Daniel was awakened by a slimy hand skimming his arm. Hedlir. What was he doing here? His friend was too respectful to disturb him without a good reason.

'What is it?' Daniel asked as quickly as he could.

'Hurry. Alone. Others are celebrating a birth.'

Daniel's heart started pounding like mad. That was his chance. 'Hedlir, we need out.'

'Why? Skoukla!' Skoukla. Home. The sacred asylum. No wonder Hedlir was surprised.

'We need sun.'

'Sun kills.' Hedlir's skin was exuding concern. Daniel didn't need any telepathic skill to understand that Hedlir cared.

'You unlike us,' replied Daniel, remembering what the alien had told him the first time.

He saw, clearly saw, Hedlir's smile. It didn't matter if it was nothing more than an hallucination. Hedlir's chuckle matched his grin, and that was all the proof Daniel needed. He looked at him, at the eyeless features, at the translucent pinkish skin, at the dark veins smearing his arms. He saw a friend.

"What? Daniel, what's this noise?"

"Nothing, Jack. Just a private joke."

'I will ask Queen,' Hedlir assured him, still smiling from ear to ear, before disappearing in the dark.

"I thought you were asleep," Jack grunted.

"Home," Daniel replied.

He barely felt the water poured on his head, nor the calloused hand that rubbed out the jelly. He was already asleep, dreaming of his very own Skoukla.

—

The one-legged woman hopped along, supported by Iskur. Hedlir carried her crutches. As much as she hated these instruments, she would need them later, for she might have to come back on her own. She felt a pang at letting the Primitives go. Everybody had hoped that they were the children of the Lost. Nightbird, speaking through Hedlir, had told her otherwise.

It was her responsibility to believe him, if only to make up for the mistake her people had made, centuries ago, back when Hemera was Queen. They hadn't listened to their Nightbird because he was different. He was the first cave dweller. When they had followed him, and accepted to be changed by him, it had almost been too late.

The little group reached the end of the dam. Nightbird had to stop Leader, who hadn't noticed they had arrived. Queen smiled bitterly as Leader noised his frustration by pounding on the wall. She understood. She felt the same way. Crippled.

_"How is Leader going to survive outside?"_ she asked Hedlir. _"He can't even find his way in here."_

_"I think he will be fine."_

She took the crutches he was handing to her. _"I'll go with you. I'll guide them out of Skoukla."_

Iskur brushed her shoulder. _"You can't come with us. We will take the ancient vertical tunnel. All the upper dikes are flooded and they cannot breathe well in the water."_

Of course. Every time the worms bred, they had to empty the lower dikes and send water upward to keep their offspring from sneaking in Skoukla. Last time the dam technicians had been late. One creature had come in unnoticed. It had grown quietly, hiding in the recesses of the lake. Finding and killing this worm had changed her whole life.

_"I don't like that. Be careful. The worms have finished mating, but all of them haven't gone to sleep yet. Don't follow my example."_

_"Will it or not, you are exemplar. Your courage is praised by all, Queen," _the strong hunter objected.

_"Courage on one leg doesn't achieve much, my friend."_ She kissed him and Hedlir. They were good men, and if she was to lose them…

Skoukla would have to find another Queen.

—

Daniel had lost the count after the first hundredth riser. From what he could hear below, Jack was panting just as much as he did. Iskur, who was leading the way, and Hedlir, who was trailing the march, seemed to do just fine.

"How… long?" asked Jack.

"Hedlir is… behind you. I can't… I can't ask…"

Iskur stopped. Something was up there, and as Daniel was telling Jack not to move, he could feel it as well. It was silent and sneaky, and he wouldn't have noticed if Iskur hadn't backed up a couple of rungs to allow Daniel to touch him.

He clasped his hand on the alien's ankle to observe the animal sliding on the vertical walls of the narrow tunnel. The size of a wolverine, it was much smaller than the gigantic worm he had seen outside. It was one of the offspring. As such, it was a dangerous beast.

The hungry wyrmling was creeping up on the four men. Its stench made Daniel dizzy. Nobody moved, nobody breathed. They were waiting.

Iskur's attack was swift. He propelled his right arm upwards and impaled the beast with a sharp weapon Daniel had been unaware of until now. The worm fell down and bounced past the men. It shrieked all the way down the hole, landing with a barely audible thud.

"What happened exactly?" asked Jack.

"Iskur killed a worm."

"Well, I'm sure glad you didn't off the guy."

Iskur shook his ankle free and quickly climbed the remaining risers. He pushed a trapdoor open. Daniel followed him into a wide, almost horizontal gallery.

"Hey, the ladder is gone!"

"Give me your hand." Daniel helped Jack up. They both dropped to the ground, exhausted. Hedlir closed the trapdoor. Daniel noticed how fresh the place was now that the heated air column couldn't reach it anymore. "We are out of Skoukla," he said.

He had mixed feelings about this. They were still underground. The smell was different, though. Musty and stale, it reminded him of digs in South America, in temples colonized by trees. That didn't worry him. But there was another scent, rampant and meaty. Daniel recognized it. This tunnel belonged to a worm.

Daniel lifted his head, inviting Hedlir to converse with him.

The cave dweller got the hint. 'We need to part ways.'

He'd been afraid of that. He could sense that they were not far from the surface. None of them could be certain where the tunnels ended. For all they knew, the worms' pounding might have caused it to collapse halfway through, allowing deadly sunlight in.

'Thank you for coming this far.'He managed not to tremble while writing, but he didn't think he could hide his fear from Hedlir.

'You will make it. You will find your Skoukla.' Hedlir paused. 'Will you stay in touch with us?'

'I would like to. I've bet a fish that Iskur would win the wrestling tournament, I want to feel that!' They laughed, and so did Iskur. 'But…'

'But. I know.'

Daniel winced when Hedlir broke contact with him. A few seconds later, the cave dweller passed a cold chain around his neck. The sun-shaped pendant, still covered with warm jelly, contacted with his chest. Daniel wrapped his left hand around it.

'This I give you to be your chain so that we can stay in touch.'

'Thank you.' Daniel removed his dog tags and passed them to Hedlir. 'Take care, my friend.'

They shook hands, yet another thing Daniel had taught him. He was about to do the same for Iskur when the hunter grabbed his wrist in his usual rough manner. Daniel's right hand was forced open to receive another object. Not a bullet, like the first time. Daniel closed his fingers around a notched handgrip. It fitted nicely in his palm. A short stick protruded between his index and middle finger. A blade was attached to the stick. Daniel traced its contour with his other hand, registering its triangular shape and the sharpness of its edges. It was thin without being fragile, and Daniel was sure it could penetrate most organic surfaces without damage. "Nice."

Iskur slapped Daniel on the back, and before he had time to recover his breath, the trapdoor opened and closed again. They were gone.

"I take it it's time to go?" asked Jack, his voice softened by the lack of echo.

"Yeah… Yes."

"What direction?"

"Up. Always up."

"I hate to break it to you, Danny-boy, but this tunnel is flat."

Daniel wiped his left hand in the mud. He poked at Jack's side and walked past him, following the slight slope he only could feel.

—

It was still as dark as before. The tunnel had narrowed to the point that they had to crawl and shoulder their way through. Jack found the task strenuous. Mud fell on him, filled his mouth, weighed on his back, threatening to bury him alive. He could barely hear Daniel anymore. Within the heavy soil the sounds were muffled and eerie.

"Come on, Jack. There's a bit more room over there."

He kept going, pushing aside the stones Daniel had disturbed. The cramped passage kept closing in on him, and he found himself fighting for air, unable to move, his chest compressed by the walls. Daniel was a fool if he believed they would survive. This would be their tomb.

Without warning, Daniel grabbed one of his hands and pulled. Somehow, he had managed to turn around, a feat no grown man could possibly accomplish in such a small space. "Daniel, is that you?"

The contortionist pulled harder, and Jack tumbled forward. He landed flat on his stomach, right on top of Daniel, forcing a grunt of pain out of him. Jack sat back on his knees, noting in amazement that there was enough space for that. "You OK?"

Daniel spat and coughed.

"Daniel? Did I hurt you?"

"No," Daniel spat once more. "You just crushed half a dozen of my ribs, that's all. Why the hell did you stop? You in love with the place, or what?"

Jack closed his eyes. He liked to think that he had been holding his own extremely well thus far. First in the tunnel where they had been stuck with the big worm. He had managed to free Daniel from the monster's jaws, despite the stench, the darkness, and the quakes. Then they had fallen, and they had been brought into Skoukla. With no light whatsoever.

He had cared for Daniel when he was sick or out of his mind, keeping his own nightmares and fears at bay. He had waited patiently while the blackness devoured him. Jack had been so close to giving up at times. Like when his watch had died, and when Daniel had voiced his hallucination, or when he had convulsed. Unwanted memories rose, dragging him back to a cramped cell in a foreign country.

At least Skoukla was big, and his unwilling jailors had proven to be nice men, if a bit clueless. Now, with this tunnel closing on him, the fears came back with a vengeance. He had failed. He was stalling on the finish line.

"Hey, Jack!"

Daniel was stirring stale air under Jack's nose. The younger man was skittish. Recent events had taught Jack that this was a sign of trouble to come. He had to put an end to his mournful cogitation now if he still wanted a chance to reach him. "What's up, Daniel? You won't deny an old man a well-earned break, will you?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't think you were tired."

"Because you're not?"

"Yeah. Yes, I suppose I am, too. I, I think we should…"

Jack knew Daniel couldn't go on. Oh, he sure would, given half the chance. But soon his odd behaviour would be completed by a nasty physical reaction. Nausea if they were lucky, seizure if they were not. Jack preferred for it to happen where he had some room to assist his friend, rather than in a narrow passage. He had to stall for time. "Where are we?"

"Why, in a worm tunnel! Isn't it obvious? Can't you smell it?"

"Yeah. They could use some breath mints. Are there any around?"

"Breath mints?"

Jack snorted. "Worms, silly!"

"I don't know, I'm not a frickin' seer!"

It was quickly getting worse. Jack tensed when he felt something sharp scrape his chest. Fighting to keep his voice calm, he asked: "You've got a weapon?"

"Yeah. Iskur gave me his knife."

"Be careful with that, kiddo. You don't want to put one of my eyes out, do you?"

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," said Daniel. He stopped flailing his arms around. Instead, he started snapping his fingers. It was just as unnerving.

Jack's options were limited. Massages were what worked best to ground Daniel. Unfortunately, Jack didn't dare to touch him, since he was armed. He would have to talk him out of it this time. "Hallucinations?"

"Oh, yes. You remember, the Limvris killed by Machello's bugs? They are right here, all nine of them. It's a bit crowded. MacKenzie would like that."

"I bet he would. But I'm not going to spill the beans." Jack wasn't lying. He would make sure that Daniel wasn't sent to the shrink this time. Not until he was cured of the poison that fogged his mind. If he was still nuts by then… No. He would be fine.

"You don't want to tell him?"

"He'll have to kill me first."

Daniel chuckled. "You won't talk if you're dead!"

"See? There's nothing to worry about."

"They scare me, Jack. I think they are not real, but…"

"You know they are not real," he corrected, insisting on the word 'know'.

"We should go," said Daniel, abruptly switching the subject of conversation. "I'm ready."

Jack listened to the regular brisk sound Daniel was making with his fingers. Carefully, he held out a hand and, after a bit of searching, touched his friend's neck. His pulse was so strong and fast Jack didn't need to find a vein to feel it. The heat of his skin was striking in this chilly tunnel.

"You're not ready. I need a break, too," said Jack. He leant back against the wall and closed his eyes. "Better here than in the tunnel."

"It looks like a crossroads. I've searched the place while you were stuck. There are four other tunnels going from here."

"Sweet. How do we know which one to take?"

"Trust me on this. I know. One smells different."

Jack pondered on this new information. Daniel's freaky abilities came in handy, but he still didn't like them. They came with too many side effects. At least he seemed quieter. He probably wouldn't convulse this time. Jack heard him shift to lay on his side, like always when he was coming down. He would be back on all fours in a minute, when the stomach cramps became too painful.

"Eency weency spider…"

—

Daniel had nothing left to heave. The acid taste of bile filled his mouth. His body felt hollow, and still the spasms wouldn't stop. Daniel was grateful for Jack's hand rubbing his back. He was aware he hadn't been his usual sunny self recently, but Jack had remained at his side despite his snarly remarks.

A subtle change in the draughts raised goose bumps on Daniel's skin. Unable to move or talk, he felt the newcomer glide into the chamber from the third tunnel. Daniel tightened his grip on the blade, glad he hadn't dropped it when the hallucination had overcome him. The slithering creature crept closer. Daniel was certain it had noticed them. He had to warn Jack.

He gasped for air. His attempt to talk ended up in a gurgle, followed by more retching.

"Calm down, Daniel. I'm here."

_'You don't understand. God, Jack, look behind you! It's coming.'_ Tears of frustration and pain welled in his eyes. Crying was not going to help. He had to pull himself together _now_.

The young worm bunched like a coiled spring. Helpless, Daniel witnessed it leaping on its prey. He called his friend's name, too late. Jack screamed as the needle-sharp teeth sank into his flesh.

Daniel's blood froze. He whirled and threw himself at Jack, sending both of them to the ground. The creature hissed. Daniel could feel it underneath him, wriggling where it had bitten into Jack's right thigh. That was all the information he needed. He pushed himself back into a sitting position and thrust his hand downwards. Blood spurted on his face, and for one excruciating second, he wasn't sure of who or what he had stabbed.

The worm shrieked in agony.

It was dead. He had killed it. Jack was growling and swearing, but he was alive. Dizzy with relief, Daniel crawled to a clean place and dropped to the ground. He had killed it. Alone. With a blade. A worm. He was a worm hunter. Hedlir wouldn't believe him if he told him.

"Leader?"

"Don't call me like that. God that hurts!"

"You know what they say? The night bird catches the worm." He cackled. "The night bird, you hear me?" He was vaguely aware that he sounded like a nervous wreck. The hysterical bouts of laughter building up in his body erased this uncomfortable perception. "Nightbird!"

"Now calm down, all right? Listen to me."

Daniel wiped his face clean. "Where's Hedlir?"

—

His thoughts were fuzzy for the most part. Somehow, Leader was afraid because of him, and he didn't know why.

He had done something wrong, just when Leader needed him most. Nightbird grunted, digging in the soil with Iskur's blade. He wouldn't fail his friend anymore. He would get them out of here. Leader's Skoukla was at the end of this tunnel. He just had to make it a bit wider before they could crawl to safety. That, at least, was clear in his mind.

Nightbird shivered. The temperature was distinctly cold. The thin trail of fresh air he used as a guide smelled like mushrooms and leaves. He knew he used to like this particular odour, and that's why he trusted he was on the right track. Behind him Leader smelled like blood and fear.

—

Jack had to crawl on his back. The dead worm was attached to his thigh, its jaws locked in death. Mud thrown from above splashed on his head.

"Daniel!" Jack kept calling at him, kept talking to him, even though he wasn't answered back. Daniel was hiding somewhere in his shell of flesh and soil. He didn't know when, but Jack would get him out of his prison.

"How's it going, Cave Monkey? See the light already?"

Daniel didn't acknowledge his new nickname. He frantically kept throwing more mud Jack's way. Jack was in turn getting rid of it as fast as he could. Daniel stopped only to kick him in the shoulder. This was the signal. Jack tried to slide upwards.

The texture of the ground had changed. The mud had lost density and gained pieces of woods, small bugs and humidity. The tunnel, fortunately, was still holding its own. Its structure was compact. The walls were as cold and hard as if they were made of metal under a fine layer of loose dirt.

"It's not a wormhole, is it? What do you think it is? A secret jelly-guy-duct?"

Jack focused his attention on the various sounds originating from Daniel. None of them was a voice. There were an assortment of grunts, hisses and spits. The snapping of roots being torn off. Crunching from the earth being stabbed at. Rustlings from a body moving in the soil.

At last Daniel's fist slammed against the ceiling. Stones and debris clattered down the hole, followed by a gust of fresh air.

Jack cheered in victory as light poured in the tunnel.


	5. Part 5

**Stay in Touch, by Tefnut  
Part 5**

It had been so easy to be blind and naked in Skoukla. Paths were straight, edges were soft. Whenever he tripped, someone was there to put him back on his feet. It felt safe and warm. Hedlir was a good companion, as was Iskur, Teal'c's bigger brother. And Jack, Jack was always at his side. He longed, though, for the real Teal'c, for Sam, for the excitement of gate travel.

Daniel hoisted himself onto the leafy ground. He smiled bitterly as the cold wind slapped his face.

He wondered how easy it would be to be blind and naked out of Skoukla.

"Daniel, stop dreaming and help me out of here!"

Daniel drove the blade into the ground. Shifting to lay on his belly, he reached for the hole and found a pair of arms on the way. Jack. He pulled slowly, afraid of hurting him, until he heard evidence that his friend was crawling out on his own.

He sat again, pulling his knees up to his chest, and knew that Jack was sitting in front of him. Jack was silent for a moment, probably looking around.

"We'll be fine here for now. Give me the blade, I'm going to remove this leech."

The blind man groped for Iskur's knife. He pulled it out and laid it flat on his palm. As he held his hand forward, Daniel felt a draft in front of his eyes.

Jack grabbed the blade. "You forgot to tell me something, maybe?"

"Maybe. It's probably just temporary."

—

Jack spared a short glance back at the dark entrance of the tunnel before looking at their new surroundings again. He didn't recognize this area, though the probability was high that they were in the forest just below the Stargate plateau. The bare trees exposed enough of the landscape for Jack to make out an imposing grey mass, possibly the cliff itself. His sight was too blurry for him to be certain of that. He knew where his problem came from. Sensory deprivation tended to mess with your body like that. Been there, done that, got the funny tee shirt to prove it.

He suddenly remembered that Daniel hadn't bought this particular tee shirt yet. Jack squinted, bringing his friend into focus, and observed him in silence. He was filthy, covered from head to toes with mud and two types of blood -- one red, one blue. Despite the layers of dirt, it was obvious that he had lost weight. The stubble on his face, which Jack had known only by touch, was shorter than he had imagined. They couldn't have spent much more than three weeks in Skoukla.

From the way Daniel was drawing complicated patterns in the air, his head tilted slightly lopsided, Jack could tell he wasn't quite out of the loony bin yet. "Are you all right, Daniel? You look like…"

"Jack, I can't see! I can't see anything at all. It's just as dark as underground."

"It will be fine, Daniel. The same thing happened to me in Iraq. I couldn't see anything after a while either." Jack neglected to tell him that he had still been able to discern basic shapes and distinguish between light and dark. A little white lie couldn't hurt right now. "Have a break, OK? I'm going to remove this Goau'ld wannabe from my leg, and then we'll go find Fraiser to fix us."

Jack took a deep breath and started working on the worm, using Iskur's blade as a lever to lift the jaws. Biting the inside of his cheek to stifle a scream, he dug into his own leg, carving around the teeth to get them out more easily. Some of them were embedded in the flesh. It would be easier to tear them out of the creature's jaws than to pull them out of his thigh. Unable to go on, Jack waited until Daniel livened up to delegate this task.

"Here… just one more on your left…", he guided him, sweat dripping from his forehead.

"All done!" A proud look lighting up his face, Daniel shook the dead worm in front of Jack's eyes, spraying him with blue blood.

"Thank you for that." Jack's comment mingled sarcasm and thanks.

"You know, I wonder if we could capture one alive? If it's an alternate form of Goau'ld, it may be intelligent enough that we could communicate with it."

Jack snatched the monster from his friend's hands. "Daniel. Don't ever think of befriending one of those beasts," he warned him, flinging the worm back into the hole it came from. "Never, ever, ever."

"I promise, but only if you never call me Cave Monkey again."

Jack smiled. "So you heard that?"

"Yeah. Sorry if I freaked you out down there, I was a bit… you know."

"Gone?"

"Gone."

—

Daniel took another step, one hand on Jack's shoulder, the other one trailing the cliff. He lifted his foot high before extending it slowly and lowering it to the ground. This heron gait was not fast by any stretch of the imagination, but as Jack was limping badly, he didn't feel like he was slowing him down.

The regular tapping of Jack's staff soothed his tired nerves. The wind had calmed. He welcomed the drizzle that had started as soon as they had left the woods. As raindrops pattered on him, mud dripped off his body. He felt clean, but naked, his many wounds uncovered.

Jack stopped. "The staff is not enough."

"It isn't?"

"Do you think you can help me?"

Daniel nodded. He moved his hand from Jack's shoulder to his waist. Jack answered by placing his left arm around Daniel's shoulders. They went on in silence, their progress even more impaired than before. Jack only talked to warn Daniel of impending obstacles.

"Maybe we should stop here and have a break," Daniel suggested.

Jack hit a rock with his stick. "No way. I'm not going to push our luck."

"What do you mean?"

"We haven't seen a single worm so far, apart from the one that wanted me for breakfast. I don't want to stay here until they find us."

"It's fine. Their mating season is over. They'll stay underground for the next few years. Hedlir told me so."

"… And why didn't you share this little bit of information before?"

"Well, I… Oh. Duh."

"Duh?"

Daniel let go of the cliff, allowing his fingers the freedom they needed to dance in hypnotic motions. "It was down there. I told you. In a way."

"You know, telepathy is highly overrated."

"That it is." He frowned. It angered him that Jack kept thinking of the cave dwellers as some sort of freaky mind readers. They were not. Daniel knew they had simply developed their sense of touch to a new level, thanks to the sensitivity of their skin. Hedlir had taught him some tricks that Daniel feared he would soon forget.

Jack slapped his fingers. "Anyway, let's go. After the next turn I think we should be able to see the stairs. We'll be home soon."

"Home? Sam. Teal'c. Home. Sam. Teal'c. Home…" Daniel found enough energy in this mantra to concentrate on the difficult walk.

—

Daniel's babble had long degenerated into a "hawk miss tale" nonsense before stopping altogether. Jack leant heavily on him. He had dropped the heavy staff, knowing that he couldn't have kept it until now while still holding the knife. And he wasn't going to give a weapon to a delirious man.

They reached the bend Jack had been aiming for late in the afternoon. He spotted the road first. There wasn't much left of it. Only the trees framing it were untouched by the cataclysm that had ploughed through it, digging a river where cobblestones had once paved the ground.

A humongous worm was lying dead at the base of the cliff, its black body pricked open by long-necked birds. Its bowels were strewn about. Small grey mammals were playing with the bluish remains, tearing them apart. A piece of meat, thrown by one of the playful animals, landed on the fifth step of the stairs. It couldn't have gone higher. The rest of the stairs had collapsed. Shards of stones were scattered around the deflated carcass, some under it. The worm had destroyed their access to the gate.

Jack blinked, wishing he could be blind like Daniel. "We have a problem."

"What?"

"Remember the stairs?"

"Yes. I've noticed similar examples of helicoidal structures in Skoukla."

Jack paused. That almost sounded coherent, if a bit inappropriate. "Those helicopter things are a bit…"

"Flimsy," completed Daniel.

"I wish you would stop doing that," mumbled Jack. "The whole thing is kaput."

"Well, we can climb, then. It's not that high, if I remember correctly."

Jack dropped to the ground. The birds and mammals dispersed with various alarmed noises.

"Jack?" Daniel slowly lowered himself to Jack's level, and sat.

Although the bleeding had stopped, Jack felt faint. His right leg prickled. It was also distinctly cooler than the rest of his body. He had managed so far, but this limb wouldn't carry him any longer. "That's a no-go, Danny. I won't make it up there."

"I'll do it alone and bring back some help." Daniel's abrupt answer left Jack speechless.

—

The first time he fell, he just laughed and started again. The second time, he decided to listen to Jack's advice. It proved too hard to decide which voice among the two or three ones he could hear was true, and he failed again. The third time, he was disturbed by the sudden appearance of Teal'c. He tried to reach his hand, met with empty air, and fell.

"You're fine?"

"I didn't bounce this time. I'm getting better at landing." He tried to sound as if he was making light of it, but his confidence was faltering. Maybe, just maybe, he had been a tad arrogant in believing he could carry this out.

He searched his way to the small crag he used as a starting point when Jack dragged him aside.

—

_God, the man needed a break._ "Daniel, you can't go on like that."

"I'm just practicing for the moment. I'll be up there in no time, you'll see."

"Daniel…"

Daniel closed his eyes. "I know… I'm sorry, Jack. No can do."

Jack stared at the mess. The numerous scrapes and bruises Daniel had picked up from digging in the tunnel, impressive as they were, were not Jack's main concern. The fever was more worrisome. Jack couldn't tell for sure without a thermometer, but he suspected that his friend's temperature was somewhere on the wrong side of the dangerous 103° F. That could account for the confusion and the hallucinations -- although Jack had noticed that Daniel was suffering from them even when his temperature was low. It still didn't explain why his limbs jerked uncontrollably when he was not climbing.

It was impossible for his blind friend to scale the cliff. And yet, Jack needed him up there.

"Daniel, you're doing well. Just have a break. When you feel a bit better, you'll try again."

"And I will fall, again."

Daniel had been lucky until now, landing on the soft soil or on the worm's cadaver. Jack hated to think of the result of Daniel's skull striking rock. His next try would have to be successful.

"I'll fall, because I can't see where I'm going."

Jack squeezed his friend's shoulder, feeling for the tension that had built up. "You didn't need to see before, down there. What has changed?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's because the others are too far away."

"Hedlir wasn't holding your hand when you killed the worm in the tunnel."

"True," Daniel admitted. "I have no idea what's wrong with me. I keep hearing voices. It's disturbing."

"Yeah, you're whacko. That's not new. So, what's changed?" Jack asked again.

"I'm blind. That's what has changed."

"Excuse me? Could you see in Skoukla?"

"No. But I didn't know I was blind. I just thought that there was no light. It's different. Now I'm blind. The Voice was right."

Jack pondered on this. So that was the problem. Daniel was too shocked and frightened by his newfound handicap and by whatever this 'voice' had told him to feel his way up the cliff. Jack needed to calm him down. He needed Nightbird.

Daniel had to be touched to remember what his body was capable of. A massage would do the job, but Jack was too tired for that. He would only contaminate Daniel with his own exhaustion if he tried. Jack inclined his head. Just as he was about to admit his defeat to himself, his gaze fell on Iskur's blade.

He smiled. The cave dwellers had provided him with a solution. "Daniel, you can't go up there like that."

"I told you. No can do, sorry."

"That's not what I meant. You… Well, if Carter and Teal'c see you like that, they'll run away screaming. You need a shave."

"Ja-ack?"

"You. Need. A. Shave."

—

Daniel gaped. "And I thought _I_ was insane," he said slowly.

"Oh, but you are. Nice necklace, by the way."

"Thanks. It's Hedlir's… Hey, don't!" Daniel hit Jack's arm, which he could feel approaching his left ear. "You were trying to change the subject of conversation, weren't you? Well, guess what? It doesn't work that way."

"My bad, then. Anyway, we really need to do something about your face."

"I don't know. I kinda hoped they would notice the beard instead of my fanciful wardrobe."

Jack laughed. "Can't fix the clothes."

"You can't fix the beard, either."

"Yes, I can. My great-great-grandfather was a barber, so it shouldn't be too hard. That kind of thing runs in the family, you know."

Daniel rolled his eyes. What was so crucial about his appearance?

"Relax, Daniel. Just sit against this big rock there, and relax."

The relaxation part sounded good. Daniel leaned back. He'd been shaved with a rusty knife without the help of a mirror before, and it hadn't been all that difficult. Jack would have no trouble, considering he could see him, and Iskur's blade was razor sharp.

If only he managed to stop twitching, of course. "I'm not sure, Jack. It's going to burn like hell. Unless you've hidden some shaving cream in your pockets somewhere?"

"You're burning already, anyway, aren't you?"

Daniel closed his eyes. Jack's hands cupped his face until he stopped shaking. He jerked when he felt the first cold touch of the blade on his skin, but Jack's gestures were confident. Daniel's fears of having his throat slit by mistake slowly receded as he focused on the regular scraping of the blade. It itched a little, but the wetness of his skin lessened the burn. When Jack shaved off his moustache he tried his best not to surrender to the tickling.

The blade left contact with his skin. He realized that it had stopped raining, and Jack was talking. "You remember what you have to do?"

"Of course! I'm not dumb." Daniel frowned. Even though he hadn't been actively listening to Jack when he'd given him his orders, it seemed to have registered on a subconscious level.

"Well, enlighten me!"

Maybe if he got it right Jack would shut up and let him doze. He felt the cold edge of the blade switch from his left cheek to the right one. "All right. I climb up there. I find the DHD. I dial Earth. Then I wait for the cavalry."

"Good. And what don't you do?"

"I don't go through the gate."

"Because if you do…"

Daniel made a face. "Splat!"

"That's it. Stop moving, will ya?"

Daniel tilted his head back to allow Jack access to his throat.

—

Daniel had never deserved his Monkey nickname more than this evening. Jack smiled as his friend crooked his fingers into a small crevice, using it to lever himself up to a better position. He lifted his left foot to a hold he had spotted before by brushing the grit with his hand. His right foot found support in a recess, and up he went.

Jack admired his confidence. He had guided him for the first few meters, until Daniel had made him understand in a not so subtle way that his constant chatter was bothering him. He had to admit that the irascible climber was doing better without his help.

The wall sloped the wrong way. Jack watched Daniel's struggle with gravity. His leg momentarily lost contact with the rock before he could clamber up, his body tilted backwards. His balance was tenuous, but he was holding on.

"Keep it up, Danny," whispered Jack.

Above, a big overhang shadowed his friend's shape. It was the last obstacle before Daniel could reach the platform, and the most dangerous one. If he fell now, no surface could be soft enough to save his life.

Jack heard him swear when he touched the horizontal plane above his head. Daniel stood still for a while, before moving to the left, only to find the same bulge.

"Jack? I don't know how to do that."

"Bring your feet up," shouted Jack. "Make yourself as small as possible."

"Yeah, but what's it like after that? Does it look like the Old Bat Route?"

"I'm not sure." Jack tried to remember the layout of this particular portion of the artificial wall they'd been practicing on in their down time. He didn't need to be reminded that a fully geared up Daniel had failed every single time, even with the help of color-coded handholds. "It's getting dark. I can only see a crevice from here."

"Where's that?"

"On your right."

Daniel leaned his forehead against the rock. Jack held his breath until he started moving again. He brought his feet up, gathering his limbs until his back was almost parallel to the ground. He tentatively lifted his right arm, brushing the underside of the overhang until he could feel the sharp upward crook of the stone. Extending his upper body as far as possible, he searched the vertical surface for a hold.

Jack was biting his lower lip, forbidding himself to talk. He couldn't risk breaking Daniel's concentration. His muscles tensed in sympathy when Daniel finally found the crevice Jack had spotted, as well as a smaller hold for his hands. He stretched his left leg up to a tiny bulge on the side. Folding his right leg, the climber brought his knee up to waist level and stuck his foot against the wall.

Jack wasn't sure whether he had actually reached a proper foothold or not. The clouds lifted, allowing the last rays of sunlight to tint the cliff orange. The impossibly smooth surface above the bulge wasn't speckled by shadows like the bottom of the wall. It was much worse than the Old Bat Route. Daniel moved again, shaking with exhaustion, and Jack could only bite his lip harder.

—

The rock felt cold under his fingers. Daniel studied the tiny irregularities, choosing which ones would offer the best support for his next step. His skin sent him precious information on the texture of the rock and on the remaining distance to the top. But before going anywhere, he had a very bad case of disco leg that he needed to fix if he didn't want to fall.

Putting most of his weight on his left leg, he pushed the heel of his right foot downwards, toes remaining in contact with the rock. Breathing slowly, he fought the cramp in his calf. His pulse slowed, his muscles relaxing slowly. Ready at last, he slipped one finger into a small pocket and attacked the last portion of the slab.

The moment he rolled onto the platform it started raining again.

"I've made it," he yelled.

"I knew it! Atta boy. You're the best!"

It sounded like Jack's voice, but his friend couldn't possibly be here at his side, tousling his hair, could he? Daniel frowned at the illusion, and focused on the job at hand.

After much crawling through the mud trailing the destroyed road, Daniel found the DHD. Reading his symbols with his fingers, he dialled Earth's address. The wormhole jumped to life. As the bright event horizon pierced the night, Daniel's eyes hurt as if they'd been burned. _'Another hallucination. Can't wait to see what Teal'c and Sam will look like.'_

His mission accomplished, Daniel sank to the ground and fell asleep.

—

"Major Carter, Teal'c."

"Sir."

"General Hammond." Prompted by the general, Teal'c sat at the briefing table. His jaw muscle twitched when Hammond opened a dog-eared green folder.

"I have called you today to talk about the future of SG-1," Hammond stated without further ado. "As you probably know, I want you two back out there as soon as possible. I could redistribute you to other teams, but I would have to split you up to do so. That's not going to happen."

"Thank you, Sir."

"I approve of your decision, General Hammond." Teal'c knew his sentence bordered on insubordination. He was not supposed to give his benediction to a superior officer. A simple bow would have been the correct thing to do in this case. At the same time, he wanted the General to know that he was right in thinking that he and Carter needed to stay together.

Hammond was fiddling with a corner of the cardboard folder. His gaze fell on Teal'c. "It is my hope that the new members of SG-1 will live up to their legacy."

Teal'c dropped the military curriculum vitae that was handed to him when he heard the unmistakable clang of the chevrons locking. He ran to the control room, closely followed by Hammond, and Carter, and the blare of the sirens.

"Unscheduled offworld activation."

"Close the iris. Walter, who's out there?"

"SG-11, Sir. They are not due back for…"

"Forty-eight hours," Hammond didn't need to be told.

Teal'c recognized a rhetorical question when he heard one. He'd caught the glimpse of hope in the General's eyes. He could feel his heart beating a bit faster, himself. As long as he wasn't confronted with O'Neill and Daniel Jackson's bodies, he would continue to believe in the possibility of rescue.

"We don't have a code."

"Sir! Shouldn't we open the iris, Sir?" Carter's tone was remarkably neutral. If there hadn't been a slight hesitation at the beginning, no one could have suspected her emotional turmoil. Teal'c considered her something of a Jaffa at times.

"No, Major Carter. I won't put the security of the base at risk for whoever is knocking at the door."

Teal'c approached the observation window. He knew his friends were out there. Alive. "I volunteer to go on P8J-453 once the wormhole has shut down, General Hammond."

Major Carter straightened. "Sir."

"I didn't expect less of you, SG-1."

—

The faraway whoosh of the Stargate drew Jack out of the daze induced by blood loss. He found the strength to smile. Daniel had reached the DHD and had managed to dial a working address. The chances were too slim for a random dial-up to work out. He had phoned Earth, and Earth would answer back. Jack trusted Hammond would understand the message.

Jack just had to wait for the rescue team. Waiting. He'd done nothing else since being stranded on East Bumblefuck. Waiting for the snakes to get them. Waiting for a fish to fall on his lap. Waiting for the jelly-guys to kill his teammate. He had been crippled from the start. Daniel had been tough and smart for the both of them.

"You made it, Nightbird. I knew you would."

Now if only he could be sure that the kid had remembered his words, and hadn't jumped head first into the wormhole.

—

Teal'c and Carter rushed back into the control room, fully equipped.

"Chevron Seven… locked," announced the sergeant.

Hammond put his hands behind his back, and stared as the MALP disappeared through the 'gate.

"The connection is established, Sir."

"Can you move the camera around?" Hammond leant near the technician and keyed the microphone on. "Colonel O'Neill. Daniel Jackson. Can you hear me?"

Wind blew out of the speakers. The area illuminated by the event horizon didn't reveal anything of interest. The place looked as deserted as it had always been.

"Switch on the infra-red camera," the General ordered. He sensed the tall Jaffa just behind him, peering at the small monitor over his shoulder.

"There! Look at the DHD!"

Carter was right. At the foot of the device, bright green blotches painted the shape of a huddled body. God. It had to be one of them. Hammond almost sent the teams out right away. The words were already forming on his tongue when he realized he wasn't certain of who was out there, waiting for them.

"No haste, Major. We want to make sure it is one of our men. Sergeant, turn the headlamps on. I want to see him."

The powerful light fell on the mud-covered man. Startled, he lifted his head. His howl of pain kick started Teal'c into a mad rush to the stairs, and before Hammond could yell "Don't!" the Jaffa had disappeared.

—

Teal'c dropped the staff weapon on the dais. It would only slow him down. He jumped over the MALP and ran on in pursuit of the naked man who was quickly fading away, swallowed by the darkness.

He saw him falter and fall in the mud. He accelerated, but the other man scrambled to his feet and went on, limping. He was getting dangerously close to the edge of the plateau. Teal'c pressed on, afraid that he would arrive too late. When he heard the muffled gasping of his prey, he threw himself into the air. He had aimed for the back, but his leap was a bit short. Nevertheless, the other man lost his balance and collapsed face first.

Teal'c rapidly crawled on top of him. "Do not move! I am here to assist you."

It was hard to tell who the writhing body belonged to. By the shape of the shoulders, Teal'c was inclined to think it was Daniel Jackson. When a flashlight held by a panting young soldier revealed his features, the archaeologist started howling and screaming like a hurt animal. "Turn the light away!" Teal'c ordered.

Teal'c heard the rest of SG-2 and Major Carter gather around him. He fought his hardest to keep Daniel prostrate without burying his head in the mud. He hadn't thought he'd come to regret having taught Daniel Jackson so many wrestling moves. He was extremely combative, and Teal'c was struggling to hold him despite his greater strength and weight. He couldn't afford to hurt his friend.

"It is Daniel Jackson," he said through clenched teeth. "Stay away from him."

The younger man stopped squirming as soon as the flashlights were directed away.

"Iskur?"

"I do not know who Iskur is, Daniel." He didn't usually call his friend by his first name. He rarely allowed himself such familiarity towards his teammates. Keeping a cool head when one of them was endangered was difficult enough as it was. Sometimes there was nothing he could do to prevent his feelings for his friends from showing through, though. "It is I. Teal'c."

"Teal'c?"

Sam knelt at their side. "Daniel! Are you all right? Do you know where the Colonel is?"

"Who?"

"Jack," explained Teal'c.

"One-legged Leader down the slippery spiral."

"What are you talking about, Daniel?"

Teal'c loosened his hold and rolled Daniel on his back. It was odd that he, of all people, would be the one able to understand this enigma. He knew which spiral Daniel was referring to. He also knew the worm had destroyed it. If O'Neill had indeed lost a leg, he wouldn't have been able to climb up to the platform.

"Major Carter, O'Neill is down the cliff."

—

"Coburn! Long time no see." Sliding his arm out of the emergency blanket, Jack waved at the major. "Having a hard time up there?"

"Your ass is getting heavier by the minute." Coburn held tight to the rope, his feet firmly entrenched behind a low rock.

"I'm glad to see you, too."

Sam grabbed the side of the rescue stretcher and assisted Coburn's men in pulling Jack up to safety. "Colonel! Are you OK, Sir? How is your leg?"

Jack couldn't hide his relief at hearing Sam's voice. If only the guys let him see her. It looked like they had hijacked the flashlights to illuminate the mud instead of him and his 2IC. And why were they all concerned about his legs? Pierce had literally counted his toes when he had found him at the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm peachy, Carter. Spent a nice holiday in a stinking hole, been munched by a worm…" He held out Iskur's blade to Sam, gesturing her to shove it in a pocket. "Just peachy," he said again. "How's Daniel? Teal'c?"

"They're over there."

Jack looked in the direction Sam was pointing, craning his neck out of the hollow he was stuck in. "Can't see them. Coburn, when you're finished unharnessing, give me some light!"

"Getting to it." Coburn dropped his gear to the ground and started packing the ropes into his bag.

"Sir, it might not be a good idea. Daniel…"

"What? What about Daniel?"

"He's acting weird, Sir."

Carter released the straps from the stretcher, allowing Jack to sit. Coburn chose this moment to aim the flashlight his way. Jack blinked, his eyes burning as if someone had just pricked them with incandescent needles. "Let me guess. He's shying away from the spotlights, is he?"

"That's a mild way to put it," puffed Pierce. He hauled his legs up to the platform and sat in the mud, wiping his hands on his dirty fatigues. "Jackson has gone bonkers."

"Bring me to him. Now!"

—

Daniel could hear Voices, many of them he didn't recognize. Illusions, as usual. He didn't care much about them. He was in the middle of a wrestling match with Iskur. Despite his efforts, he was losing. Iskur's Voice kept talking, breaking his concentration. It was not fair, but he had been stupid to listen to it in the first place.

"Stop fighting, Daniel Jackson. I am Teal'c. Can you hear me?"

Daniel pushed hard. Iskur lost his balance and fell aside. He didn't let go of his shoulders, though, and Daniel was forced to follow. Iskur swiftly turned him on his back, before rolling over to pin him to the ground. Daniel was sprawled prone in the mud, the whole weight of Iskur pressing on him. His energy was faltering. No amount of wriggling and hissing would get him out of this situation.

He signaled Iskur he accepted the outcome of the fight. Surprisingly, the worm hunter didn't release him.

"Hey, kiddo…" Cool. Another Voice. At least it was only repeating what Leader was already feeling.

_"Hello, Leader."_ Daniel grabbed the other man's fingers. He revered this outstanding hunter. Leader had killed a legion of worms with skill and courage never to be equalled. His scars told of his bravery. This man had destroyed the foul beast that had found its way to Skoukla. He had lost a leg to save his people, thus becoming Leader.

"He is calming down, O'Neill."

_"Well the match is over. I've lost."_ Daniel was satisfied with his own performance in the tournament. Fighting Iskur had been a great moment.

"That's good, Birdie. Squeeze my hand if you can hear me."

Daniel squeezed. Sometimes Leader's requests were a bit odd.

"What's wrong with him, Sir?"

"Long story. He's learned a new way of communicating. Too bad he forgot to give me a dictionary."

_"Can you tell Iskur to go away? He is heavy."_

"Teal'c, sit up with him. He looks quiet enough."

Daniel felt Iskur dragging him up to a sitting position. The big hunter still kept his arms wrapped around his torso, his fists locked on the painful bruise he'd gotten earlier from Leader tumbling over him. How did that happen again? Was it during the wrestling competition? That Leader could still fight was impressive.

_"It hurts," _he touched Iskur, trying his best not to appear too thin-skinned.

"Be careful with him, big guy. He's got a nice collection of bruises there. Pierce, Coburn, bring me closer."

Daniel let go of Leader's hand as he felt him trying to sit. He wondered why he was at the centre of the attention, and why Iskur kept him in his lap like that. He didn't complain. It felt nice to rest his head against the strong hunter's torso.

"Have you heard him speak?"

"Yes. He told us where to find you. He also called me Iskur."

"So you haven't quite lost your tongue." Leader grabbed his chin, forcing him to tip his head back to a straighter position. "Listen up, Danny. We are not in Skoukla anymore. That isn't Iskur behind you. It's Teal'c. You remember Teal'c, don't you?"

Daniel nodded. It rang a bell. Now that Leader was slowly rubbing the line of his jaw, it was much easier to focus on the Voices. Some of them were simply repeating what he could feel with his skin. Others seemed random. They distressed him.

"Good. We're going home as soon as you're back with me, so it's up to you now."

"We could put him on a stretcher and…"

"No way, Carter. No fucking way! He came up here on his own, he'll go through the gate walking with his head high!"

Oh God. This sounded so much like the real Jack. Maybe the Voice was telling the truth this time. Maybe it was just that: a voice. Jack's voice. But he was Leader, wasn't he? Leader Jack hadn't lost a leg, it was… Daniel snarled. This made no sense.

"Snap out of it, for cryin' out loud!"

"Lead… Jack?"

—

Sam shielded the flashlight with her fingers and directed the reddish ray of light towards the trio formed by Teal'c, Daniel, and the Colonel. She wasn't sure what to do. The Colonel had made it clear he didn't want her to intervene in any way. If anybody could bring Daniel back from wherever he was, it was the colonel, but Sam hadn't any certitude about his mental state. The Colonel's, that is. She knew all to well that 'confused' didn't even start to describe Daniel's.

Coburn sidled up to her and whispered in her ear. "What do you think? Should we just… I don't know… zat them and drag them through the gate?"

"How would I know?" she whispered back.

"You work with them. Does O'Neill sound… Does he sound like himself?"

"He is sure as snappy as usual," she said, a bit too loud.

The Colonel glanced at her. "What are you two plotting about?"

"Nothing, Sir. Just how long do you think it will take?"

He hadn't stopped caressing Daniel's face. "I don't know."

"Jack, where's Hedlir?"

Sam was relieved when the Colonel's gaze left hers. He resumed talking to Daniel, too low for Sam to understand more than a few words. Home. Fever. Sushi? This one made Daniel chuckle. Names – her name, and Teal'c's, often repeated. Other ones, too. Hedlir, Iskur, and Skoukla. Nightbird. Daniel's new nickname? The Colonel seemed to call him that quite a lot.

Teal'c didn't twitch a finger. He was holding Daniel against his chest, tight enough so he wouldn't slip, loose enough so he wouldn't get hurt more than he already was. The feeble light revealed large, dark areas on Daniel's body. He had more bruises than Sam cared to see.

"We can't!"

Daniel's shocked cry startled Sam. She didn't manage to swallow back the questions that had already formed in her mouth. "What? Why?"

"We can't go through the wormhole! Otherwise we'll go splat. Leader told me so."

Daniel had looked at her. No, scratch that, thought Sam ruefully. He had looked in her general direction. He wasn't just photosensitive. He was blind. The colonel forcefully dragged Daniel's face away from her.

"Jack! It's Jack, for cryin' out loud!"

"Yes… Sorry. Slipped out."

"Focus, Danny! Teal'c has a GDO, don't you, Teal'c?"

"Indeed I have, O'Neill."

"You hear that?"

"Yeah… Yes. I think. I don't know."

Sam padded the short distance that separated her from her team to kneel at Daniel's side. She was starting to feel cold from the rain and the strong wind, and she hated to think of the toll the weather was taking on her naked friend. He wasn't paying attention, obviously. He was too busy murmuring nonsense and… what? Drawing in the air?

"I'm real, Daniel. I'm not an illusion."

The Colonel and Daniel were arguing, and Sam didn't like what she heard. Biting her tongue, she removed her backpack and searched for the first aid kit. She fumbled with the opening before simply tearing the pouch open. The little black package she'd been looking for slipped through her fingers and fell to the ground.

"What are you doing? Don't you see you're distracting him?"

"It's cold, Sir. I want to wrap him in an emergency blanket."

"It's not the right time!"

"With all due respect, Colonel, yes, it is!" Sam gasped. She knew she would pay for that later. Or maybe she wouldn't – if the colonel contrite expression was to be believed.

"Sam?"

Sam grabbed her chance. Never looking away from Daniel, she searched for the emergency blanket buried in the mud and freed it from its package. "Daniel, I'm just going to give you a blanket. To keep you warm. Is it OK with you?"

Daniel shrugged and turned back towards the Colonel. "Whatever. I'm hot already."

The colonel spoke up again, soothing the sick man. Sam didn't know how often she had heard this much softness in her commanding officer's voice. He'd used it with kids, she recalled, but never with his teammates, and never in front of witnesses like SG-2.

"Trust me. We're real."

Sam had finished wrapping Daniel in the blanket with some help from him. He seemed a bit more aware of his surroundings at last, although he struggled a bit when Sam hid his eyes behind a blindfold. "It will protect you from the light," she explained.

"Yeah, I know. Sun kills." He touched the Colonel's face, and stayed silent for a moment, listening to the rain bouncing off the shiny Mylar blanket. Sam couldn't take it anymore. The relief she had felt when finding them alive had long since evaporated. She didn't believe Daniel could be reasoned with. He was too far gone for that. Distraught, she grabbed his free hand and held it against her cheek.

The world froze still in the little bubble they had created. The four of them, SG-1, together. In touch. She'd been missing them. So much so that she hadn't been able to acknowledge the pain. But now… Oh boy. She felt whole again, and she was certain Teal'c felt the same way. Whole, and cherished, but not quite safe yet.

"Let's go home, then," Daniel decided.


	6. Epilog

**Stay in Touch, by Tefnut  
Epilog**

Jack woke to the warm touch of fingers clasping his hand. It wasn't hard to guess who it was. Jack opened his eyes to the gray ceiling. The light had been dimmed, probably a good thing, too. He remembered the pain he'd suffered on entering the bright Gate room a few hours? days? Well, some time ago.

The infirmary was quiet. Night time, then, which was good -- Jack was in no hurry to see a nurse, or even worse, a doctor right now. He felt fine. The happy juice leaking through the IV was working great and… He wriggled his toes. Yes, he still had the right number of legs. There was nothing to worry about, then.

Jack turned his head to peek at his silent companion. Daniel was half sitting on a chair, half sprawled on Jack's bed. An IV protruded from his left wrist. A little sun-shaped pendant shone on his hospital scrubs. Jack was certain his friend was asleep. He was proved wrong an instant later, when Daniel raised his head to look at him.

Jack gently freed his hand to tousle Daniel's hair. "Hi, Danny."

"Hi."

His eyes were unsettling. The pupils were so dilated they almost entirely masked the blue of his irises. Jack doubted that Daniel could focus on anything. He followed his finger when Jack moved it in front of him, though.

"I can see a bit, you know. It's just the poison."

"They've found out what it was?"

"Atropine."

Jack sighed. "Of course. Astro-whatever. I should have guessed."

"Belladonna, St John's Wort. Same thing."

"It's a kind of plant, isn't it?"

"Yep. It belongs to the devil, or so they say. It's been used to stop armies in the past -- against the Danes in Scotland, and before that against Marcus Antonius' troops during the Parthian wars. Its names comes from…"

"Stop it, I give up!" Jack held his hands up. "In a way, I really liked it when you didn't talk."

"Sorry."

"You're fine, then? No more hallucinations?"

"Oh, yes. They are still going strong. Janet says the symptoms could last for up to two weeks."

"Swell."

Someone coughed. Jack glanced at the doorway to discover a pissy Doctor bearing down on them. Jack braced himself for the incoming torture. A sermon, a big needle or a poking and prodding, Janet always had something in reserve to make this place a living hell. "Why didn't you call me?" she growled.

"Uh…"

She stopped at the head of the bed and pointed at Daniel. "He should be in bed! Even you should realize that."

"Bugs," Daniel whispered.

"There are no bugs in my infirmary."

"Yeah, Daniel. Bugs wouldn't stay here willingly."

"Colonel O'Neill!" Oh dear lord. That was Janet's Impending Doom voice. The effect was slightly hampered by her chuckle and smiling eyes. "Daniel, you can stay here for now, but as soon as the tactile hallucination stops, you hop back into bed. Do we agree on that?"

"We do, we do." Daniel laid his head on his arm. Jack could tell that, bugs or not, he would soon fall asleep wherever he was.

"Good. Now, Colonel, Doctor Warner and myself haven't been idle during your thirty hour nap. I'm happy to inform you that your thigh is now tooth-free."

"How many stitches?"

"You don't want to know."

"Right."

Janet grabbed a chair. "I had to kick Sam and Teal'c out of here. They were exhausted."

Jack simply nodded. He had spotted the discarded science book on his side table. Even if he hadn't, he knew his teammates had been here, keeping watch.

"It's nice that you're back." Janet's voice was barely above a whisper.

"It is." He noticed that Daniel had grabbed his hand again. "Old habits die hard," he said, mostly to himself.

"He'll need that for a few days. Did he tell you about the Atropine?"

"You were listening, so why do you bother asking?"

"Oh, no, Jack O'Neill has unmasked the evil doctor!"

Jack chuckled. "So, yes, what about the weed?"

"He's been intoxicated by a variant I have never seen before. It affects his brain patterns: the way he thinks, the way he deals with input from his environment… At times he may sound almost normal, but his behavior is badly affected by this substance. His sense of touch has heightened, and..."

"I noticed that. So what you're saying is that this Agrippina stuff has changed him into a cuddle monster?"

"Hey! I heard that," complained a muffled voice.

"Basically, yes."

All right, that was scary. The rumor mill would be going wild. Jack was a touchy-feely kind of guy, and he was the first one to admit it, but he wasn't going to hold hands with a friend at the SGC. Or outside the SGC. Or wherever, really. No way. "But tomorrow he'll be fine, right? Right?"

"As I said, couple of weeks."

Great. Colonel Jack O'Neill was a dead man. As Janet left him on his own with a slightly deranged roommate, he buried his head in the pillows.

—

Leader was asleep, but Nightbird wasn't. He was scared. His fever had gone up a notch, and he knew he should call for the short female he named the Keeper. He didn't, for she would manhandle him to the creeping, crawling bed.

Leaving Skoukla had been a mistake. This place was bad. The Keeper had wrapped his body with a weird fabric. It itched. He'd torn it off at the beginning, only to have it put back on. She was more stubborn than he. She also seemed to have an unlimited supply of the stuff. One last time, he tore if off. He didn't think the Keeper would come back tonight.

He squeezed Leader's hand, worried about losing the memories of all the crevices and calluses he'd learned. He knew his body was changing. Patches of color danced before his eyes, blurry but real. He didn't understand them. That was bad, but the worst part was his skin. It was getting blind. Rough and primitive, like Leader's skin.

Hedlir was nowhere to be touched.

Only Leader was. "Tomorrow you'll be fine," he felt.

"No. Tomorrow I'll be blind."

Blind, and naked, and out of Skoukla.


End file.
